‘Shameful’: JD Vance Accuses CNN Anchor Brianna Keilar of Scrutinizing His Military Record From ‘The Comfort and Safety of a CNN Studio’

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance accused CNN anchor Brianna Keilar of trivializing his military service on Thursday after she argued he was not the best messenger to criticize Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s own military record.

Keilar – a military spouse herself, married to an active duty Green Beret – received backlash from conservatives after she suggested that Vance was an “imperfect messenger” to criticize Walz’s military record when he was “someone who did not see combat” either as a combat correspondent in the military.

“At what point did military service become a liability?” she questioned on CNN’s Inside Politics . “I also think that JD Vance as a messenger on this may be an imperfect messenger.”

The CNN anchor continued, “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 did add, however, that “at the same time, then you have this argument going on where it seems to be, ‘Did you really serve your country unless you were shot at a lot?’ and I just think that’s a very, kind of, gross place to be because there is so much service and sacrifice that goes on in the military.”

She concluded, “Here you have them bickering over something which should be assets that they’re both bringing.”

Responding to Keilar’s remarks in a social media post on Thursday, Vance wrote, “It’s easy to sit in the comfort and safety of a
@CNN studio and trivialize the service of countless men and women who risked their lives.”

Pointing to a list of military combat correspondents who either lost their lives or were severely wounded in the line of duty, Vance continued, “I served with some of the people mentioned in this thread. I miss them all very much. Shameful of @brikeilarcnn to slander an entire MOS.”

Keilar clarified her remarks later on Thursday, saying, “JD Vance said he didn’t see any real fighting. He said that in his book ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’ I had said I wondered if JD Vance was an imperfect messenger for this because of that, not to question his service, because he served honorably and he served in a combat zone.”

Watch above via CNN.