CNN has seriously been striking out with veterans recently. In addition to allegedly defaming a Navy veteran (get all of NewsBusters latest reporting on the case here), host Brianna Keilar tried to disparage Senator J.D. Vance’s military service as a Marine combat correspondent on Thursday’s Inside Politics, ridiculously suggesting he wasn’t in real danger while in Iraq. But on Friday’s CNN News Central, Vance’s former officer in charge confronted Keilar on her own show, calling her out for being wrong.
On Thursday, Keilar scoffed at Vance’s ability to call out Democratic vice presidential candidate Governor Tim Walz’s lies about seeing combat. She suggested he couldn’t speak to it because he somehow wasn’t in danger while deployed to Iraq:
I also think that J.D. Vance, as a messenger on this, may be an imperfect messenger because we have, as you introduced him as a combat correspondent, which was what his title was. But when you dig a little deeper into that, he was a public affairs specialist someone who did not see combat, which certainly the title “combat correspondent” kind of gives you a different impression. So, he may be the imperfect messenger on that.
Keilar’s disrespect sparked a backlash on social media. “Maj. Megan McClung was the first female Marine to die in Iraq and the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to ever die in combat. She was a public affairs officer,” wrote radio host conservative Larry O’Connor on X. “[CNN and Keilar] don't think it's a dangerous job because [Vance] had the same job.”
During Friday’s CNN News Central, Keilar issued a non-apology as she delivered lecture about a nebulous group of people who were attacking Vance’s military service, or course she didn’t include herself:
Attacks on J.D. Vance's service are also offensive. J.D. Vance served honorably in Iraq or a combat zone where anything can happen and frequently does. As he said in his book, he was quote, “Lucky to escape any real fighting.” That doesn't make his service less-than “Lucky,” he says and luck is often what makes the difference in a combat zone or even a training mission; that today is not your day. In a country were so few shoulder the burden, military service should not be a liability. It should be an asset.
Maj. Megan McClung was the first female Marine to die in Iraq and the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to ever die in combat.
— L A R R Y (@LarryOConnor) August 8, 2024
She was a public affairs officer.@cnnpr's @brikeilarcnn don't think it's a dangerous job because @JDVance had the same job. pic.twitter.com/B27ELNSL6B
This was followed up with an interview with retired Marine Major Shawn Haney, Vance’s officer in charge. Haney said she may not agree with a lot of Vance’s politics but she had an admiration for “my Marine” that far superseded the disagreement:
First of all, I’m 100 percent proud of J.D. and everything that he's accomplished. He joined the Marine Corps. It's not easy, not that many people do it. And I got to know him very well. I consider him to be a little brother. I’m very honored that he describes me as a mentor. I just looked at it as leadership. I saw all of the traits that he had. I saw that he had leadership abilities. He had just the ability to work well above his rank.
Toward the end of the interview, Haney politely confronted Keilar about her comments about Vance. “And I've also seen the criticism. Just going to point out that I saw yesterday where you talked about combat correspondent and that's important to me as well… there's a hall in our public affairs school called Defense Information School of 130 heroes that served in that capacity who did not make it out of a combat zone,” she said.
She also told Keilar: “And that's not just about J.D. Vance. That's about all of my Marines, but not just Marines. All combat correspondents, public affairs Marines, combat camera Marines, graphic artist. All of those Marines and other service members whose job it is to go where the action is, wherever that is, and to tell the story.”
The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Inside Politics
August 8, 2024
12:24:54 p.m. Eastern(…)
BRIANNA KEILAR: I also think that J.D. Vance, as a messenger on this, may be an imperfect messenger because we have, as you introduced him as a combat correspondent, which was what his title was. But when you dig a little deeper into that, he was a public affairs specialist someone who did not see combat, which certainly the title “combat correspondent” kind of gives you a different impression. So, he may be the imperfect messenger on that.
(…)
CNN News Central
August 9, 2024
3:38:09 p.m. EasternKEILAR: Informed observers connected to politics or the military, myself included, have noted that the Trump campaign is swift-boating Tim Walz. Attacks on J.D. Vance's service are also offensive. J.D. Vance served honorably in Iraq or a combat zone where anything can happen and frequently does. As he said in his book, he was quote, “Lucky to escape any real fighting.” That doesn't make his service less-than “Lucky,” he says and luck is often what makes the difference in a combat zone or even a training mission; that today is not your day.
In a country were so few shoulder the burden, military service should not be a liability. It should be an asset. And despite our recent years as a country at war, many service members haven't seen combat. That doesn't make them or their service less admirable or less necessary, nor does retiring from the National Guard after 24 years.
These kinds of attacks from the left or the right diminish the service of so many others who have served honorably, who sacrifice time away from family, who put themselves in harm's way, because the military is made largely of J.D. Vance's and Tim Walz's. There are two veterans on these presidential tickets, two enlisted veterans at that. They have unique insight into what America's men and women in the armed forces and their families have been through and need. And shouldn't that be the focus?
This is a presidential race for commander-in-chief and so often that candidate or their running mate has never personally served, even as they vie to make decisions about sending people into dangerous situations. The fact that this year they do matters to a lot of people. It matters to me in a family where we're raising two boys who idolize their dad’s military service; two boys who are significantly more likely to serve because their dad did. And if they choose that path it matters to have someone at the table who knows what that sacrifice means.
(…)
3:42:34 p.m. Eastern
MAJ. SHAWN HANEY (Marines Ret.): First of all, I’m 100 percent proud of J.D. and everything that he's accomplished. He joined the Marine Corps. It's not easy, not that many people do it. And I got to know him very well. I consider him to be a little brother. I’m very honored that he describes me as a mentor. I just looked at it as leadership. I saw all of the traits that he had. I saw that he had leadership abilities. He had just the ability to work well above his rank.
(…)
3:46:29 p.m. Eastern
HANEY: And I've also seen the criticism. Just going to point out that I saw yesterday where you talked about combat correspondent and that's important to me as well. And that's not just about J.D. Vance. That's about all of my Marines, but not just Marines. All combat correspondents, public affairs Marines, combat camera Marines, graphic artist. All of those Marines and other service members whose job it is to go where the action is, wherever that is, and to tell the story.
And those people, there's a hall in our public affairs school called Defense Information School of 130 heroes that served in that capacity who did not make it out of a combat zone. So, that's important to me as well. That's why I'm here today to represent my Marine J.D. Vance, represent his service, probably tried to send a message to all veterans, stand on your record – It's enough – but also defend those of us whose job it is to tell that Marine Corps story and to go wherever that story is.
(…)
