Walz ripped for ‘snitch line’ after making Thanksgiving reference in Pennsylvania campaign speech

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) campaigned with Vice President Kamala Harris in western Pennsylvania on Sunday and lamented that he yearned for a time in politics when relatives could enjoy Thanksgiving without politics. Critics were quick to say he hurt families during the coronavirus pandemic.

"And we, some of us who have less hair and are old enough, can remember when you could go to Thanksgiving, watch a Steelers game with your relatives, and not complain about politics the whole time, not be on each other’s neck," Walz said to the crowd in Rochester, Pennsylvania, "because you shared a commitment to democracy, a commitment to personal freedoms, a commitment to public education, a commitment to infrastructure."

As Minnesota governor, Walz was accused of massive overreach in wielding his executive power to shutter schools, businesses, and churches during the pandemic. One of his most infamous pandemic measures in 2020 was encouraging residents to snitch on their neighbors who were ignoring draconian lockdown measures during that first year of the pandemic.

"Remember the time when you couldn’t go to Thanksgiving with your relatives because you were afraid someone was going to use the Walz snitch line to report you?" a social media user asked .

"Remember the time you tried to cancel Thanksgiving?" another person posted on X, adding a 2020 news article about how he limited indoor and outdoor gatherings and said that "no person from outside your immediate household should enter your home."

"You guys support Thanksgiving now?" political analyst Terry Schilling said .

"Remember this, you fascist?" another person said, adding a link to a CBS News story about Walz and hospitals urging "people to wear masks and keep Thanksgiving gatherings small."

Fellow Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) tore into Walz for setting "up a snitch line imploring Minnesotans to tattle tale on their neighbors for failing to abide by his draconian COVID measures."

The Minnesota governor continued his comments on Sunday about how the country has grown divided.

"We don’t call each other names. We don’t do it. And we don’t use the least fortunate amongst us as punch lines for our jokes because they’re our neighbors. They’re our neighbors. And so, you’re getting an opportunity to see the best side of America," he said.

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Walz then noted that the pandemic had previously affected campaigning.

"For the young people here, they maybe haven’t seen a campaign like this because of COVID, because of things that’s happening," he said. "This is a chance to bring out that joy, turn the page, and look to the future, this idea of going forward."