Fifty Republican congressmen, including Pennsylvania’s Scott Perry (R-10) and Guy Reschenthaler (R-14), signed a letter to the Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walzand criticized the governor of Minnesota for his portrayal of his military service record.

All 50 members are war veterans. The letter is a response to a letter from 18 Democratic congressmen who are also war veterans and defending Walz against attacks on his past.

Walz, who served 24 years in the Army National Guard, has come under fire after being named Vice President Kamala Harris‘ Vice Presidential candidate because of several apparent inconsistencies regarding his time in the military.

The Harris campaign initially referred to Walz as a “retired command sergeant major,” a rank he achieved but was demoted to master sergeant before retiring in 2005. The campaign later updated his online biography.

The governor addressed the attacks last week in a speech to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

“These guys even attack me because of my time in service. And I just want to say that I am proud to have served my country and always will be. With the encouragement of my father – a man who served in the Army in the Korean War – I enlisted in the Army National Guard two days after my 17th birthday,” Walz said.

“Then, in 2005, I felt called to duty again, this time to serve my country in the halls of Congress. My students inspired me to run for office,” he added.

The following is the letter:

To Governor Tim Walz:

The office of Vice President is a position that requires the trust of the American people and a solemn commitment to the United States of America. As veterans who have served our country, we feel an obligation to address your egregious misrepresentations and call on you to come clean with the American people.

You said you were “damn proud” of your service, and like any American veteran, you should be. But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service. Repeatedly claiming to be a “retired Command Sergeant Major” when you didn’t meet the requirements was not honorable. Nor was it honorable to claim to have borne arms “in war” when you didn’t serve in war, and abandoning the men and women under your command just as they were preparing to deploy was certainly not honorable either.

To be clear, when you falsely claim you performed military service you did not perform and abandon your post, you diminish the true sacrifices of veterans who served in combat. Military service is not just a job or a uniform. Those who serve in the armed forces must undergo rigorous training, face dangerous situations, and make sacrifices that most civilians cannot fathom. The honor of wearing a uniform is earned through dedication, bravery, and an unwavering sense of duty. You demonstrated none of those qualities when you lied your way through a political career that began on the basis of a title you did not earn and combat missions you did not participate in.

In short, our deepest concern stems from the fact that the Vice President is one step away from becoming Commander in Chief. You have already demonstrated your unwillingness to lead in wartime and your lack of honor through your blatant misrepresentations, exploiting and co-opting the experiences of American war veterans for your personal gain.

So America’s veterans and service members are rightly concerned about what would happen to them if you became president. When America asked you to lead your troops to war, you turned your back on your troops. You betrayed the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms. Their blood, sweat, and sacrifice are the only reason our nation can exist. Until you admit you lied to them, you cannot be trusted to serve as vice president.

Sincerely,

• Brian Mast, Chairman of Veterans and Military Families for Trump; US Representative (FL-21); US Army
• Joni Ernst, US Senator (IA); Army National Guard
• Roger Marshall, US Senator (KS); US Army Reserves
• Rick Scott, US Senator (FL); US Navy
• Roger Wicker, US Senator (MS); US Air Force Reserves
• Brian Babin, U.S. Representative (TX-36); US Air Force
• Don Bacon, US Representative (NE-02); US Air Force
• Jim Baird, U.S. Representative (IN-04); U.S. Army
• Jim Banks, U.S. Representative (IN-03); US Navy Reserves
• Jack Bergman, US Representative (MI-01); US Marine Corps Reserve
• Mike Bost, US Representative (IL-12); US Marine Corps
• Mike Carey, U.S. Representative (OH-15); US Army Reserves
• Eli Crane, US Representative (AZ-02); US Navy
• Warren Davidson, US Representative (OH-08); US Army
• Neal Dunn, U.S. Representative (FL-02); U.S. Army
• Jake Ellzey, U.S. Representative (TX-06); US Navy
• Pat Fallon, US Representative (TX-04); US Air Force
• Scott Fitzgerald, US Representative (WI-05); US Army Reserve
• Scott Franklin, US Representative (FL-18); US Navy
• Tony Gonzales, U.S. Representative (TX-23), U.S. Navy
• Mark Green, U.S. Representative (TN-07); U.S. Army
• Brett Guthrie, U.S. Representative (KY-02); U.S. Army
• Clay Higgins, U.S. Representative (LA-03); Army National Guard
• Wesley Hunt, U.S. Representative (TX-38); U.S. Army
• Darrell Issa, US Representative (CA-48); US Army
• Ronny Jackson, U.S. Representative (TX-13); US Navy
• Jen Kiggans, US Representative (VA-02); US Navy
• Nick LaLota, U.S. Representative (NY-01); US Navy
• Greg Lopez, U.S. Representative (CO-04); US Air Force
• Barry Loudermilk, U.S. Representative (GA-11); US Air Force
• Anna Paulina Luna, U.S. Representative (FL-13); US Air Force
• Rich McCormick, US Representative (GA-06); US Navy
• Max Miller, U.S. Representative (OH-07); US Marine Corps Reserve
• Mariannette Miller-Meeks, US Representative (IA-01); US Army
• Cory Mills, U.S. Representative (FL-07); U.S. Army
• Barry Moore, U.S. Representative (AL-02); Army National Guard
• Troy Nehls, U.S. Representative (TX-22); US Army Reserves
• Zach Nunn, US Representative (IA-03); US Air Force Reserve
• Scott Perry, U.S. Representative (PA-10); Army National Guard
• August Pfluger, US Representative (TX-11); US Air Force
• Guy Reschenthaler, US Representative (PA-14); US Navy
• Hal Rogers, U.S. Representative (KY-05); Army National Guard
• Keith Self, U.S. Representative (TX-03); U.S. Army
• Gregory Steube, U.S. Representative (FL-17); U.S. Army
• William Timmons, US Representative (SC-04); Air National Guard
• Derrick Van Orden, US Representative (WI-03); US Navy
• Michael Waltz, U.S. Representative (FL-06); Army National Guard
• Brandon Williams, U.S. Representative (NY-22); US Navy
• Joe Wilson, U.S. Representative (SC-02); Army National Guard
• Ryan Zinke, US Representative (MT-01); US Navy