Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defended the man in his former office who has been under scrutiny since being nominated as Vice President Kamala Harris’s vice presidential candidate.

Governor Tim Walz (Democrat, Minnesota) served in the Army National Guard for 24 years before retiring in 2005 to focus on his run for the House of Representatives. Senator JD Vance (Republican, Ohio), who is running against Walz for vice president, has led the offensive against his opponent for blocking a deployment announced shortly after his retirement.

Ventura, a former Navy SEAL, called the attacks “shameful,” “despicable” and “nonsense” on CNN on Friday.

“You talk about him missing his deployment. Well, maybe Mr. Vance should ask the real question: What does the National Guard do when it’s sent to a foreign country in a foreign war?” Ventura said, criticizing former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney for entering the Iraq war “on the basis of lies.”

“They needed more people,” Ventura said. “They couldn’t impose conscription, that would have been political suicide. So George Bush signed an executive order sending the National Guard overseas. The National Guard is not meant for overseas deployments. Its name says what it does: It guards our country from within.”

Ventura said he has never deployed with E-9 soldiers, the highest rank a rank-and-file officer can achieve, and those soldiers “would not be on the scene” or “involved in any combat.”

“I think Vance is doing himself and the United States Marine Corps a disservice,” Ventura said. “I know a lot of great Marines, and Marines show respect. And Vance shows no respect.”

Ventura, a former professional wrestler, also criticized Vance for his deference to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, whom he called “the greatest draft dodger of the Vietnam War.”

“Vance’s behavior is despicable and I hope all veterans feel the same way I do,” Ventura said. “You don’t criticize another veteran and their service, whether they’re a cook or whatever, they all have a job to do and if you want to be successful, everyone has to do their job and pitch in.”

Despite his independent affiliation and rumored to be on presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vice presidential ticket, Ventura also endorsed the Harris-Walz contingent because “it’s time for a woman president – we men have screwed up enough already.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“I want to be alive when the first female president of the United States of America and the first female commander in chief comes to power, and that is exactly what we have now,” said Ventura, 73.

Ventura had previously supported Walz’s re-election as governor in 2022, particularly praising his stance on abortion rights and his efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in Minnesota.