It didn’t take long for Democrats and their close friends and allies in the activist media to make deceptive accusations about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after the Republican presidential primary debate. High-profile leftists and news outlets are peppering social media with claims that DeSantis lied about having been a Navy SEAL during the proceedings.
DeSantis, when discussing his military experience as a JAG Officer, said that he was “assigned with the U.S. Navy SEALS” in Iraq and that’s how he learned to “focus on mission above all.” DeSantis continued by urging Republicans “to look forward” and to “make sure we’re bringing a message that can be won in November 2024.”
Later in the debate, he said that he had “deployed alongside U.S. Navy Seals to Iraq.”
The Daily Beast published an article in which former Navy Seals reiterated the charge. Billy Allmon, former SEAL, said that he was not a Navy Seal. It’s a misleading claim.
DeSantis is a Navy lawyer who served as the legal advisor to a SEAL commandant during the Iraq War. He was in Iraq to make sure that the military followed the law and treated prisoners of war humanely.
The article admits that “technically” it’s true that the governor deployed with a Seal team. Allmon claims that his remarks were “more akin to lying by omission”.
Allmon continued, “I could take a tour of the USS Constellation and then say, ‘I served on the USS Constellation’, and leave it at that.” “And they would think, Hey, he was aboard the Constellation. It leaves an open forum. He should have clarified it much better.”
Other leftists, such as progressive attorney Tristan Snell who is also a fanatic of peddling false stories, repeated the talking point on social media.
Ron DeSantis says he was a Navy SEAL.
He was NOT.
He was a lawyer in the Navy, and at one point he was assigned to provide legal support for a SEAL team commander.
— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) August 24, 2023
Lucy Caldwell, Forward Party advisor, also joined in the conversation and accused DeSantis of “stolen courage.”
DeSantis just did it again. Misleading to suggest he was a SEAL. He cannot claim this was accidental or a slip of the tongue when he’s just done it again.
This is officially stolen valor territory. Despicable. https://t.co/NCyMWEkL2S
— Lucy Caldwell (@lucymcaldwell) August 24, 2023
Jill Wine-Banks, a legal analyst at MSNBC, said DeSantis “misled the audience” with his remarks regarding his military service.
DeSantis misled with his reference to being with Navy Seals. He was a legal advisor to the Seals and assisted with urinalysis according to a check online.
— Jill Wine-Banks (@JillWineBanks) August 24, 2023
This is a perfect example of a fake scandal. DeSantis’s language could be argued to have been less precise at worst. The idea that he is pretending to be a Navy Seal is absurd. The governor, a shrewd political figure, is aware that if he lied about his military service when running for president it would be exposed very quickly.
This is not a comment on DeSantis. This is a comment on the dishonest propaganda that comes from the activist media. It is their choice of political discourse that is at issue. Anyone who is sane can see how the candidate used his military experience to promote his campaign and explain the Republican Party’s ideals in order to win political victories.
These people, instead of focusing on the substance of his argument, chose to analyze his words so as to promote their leftist agenda. They hope that by doing so, the public will be misled into supporting their candidates. In 2023, we will be forced to deal with the current state of the media. There are still some people in the media willing to expose these lies and cut the false narratives.
