There’s just one problem: This version of the political origin story for the Democratic vice presidential nominee, who is already facing “stolen valor” accusations over claims about his military service from combat veterans, contains significant inaccuracies.

For one, Walz was admitted into the Bush rally, according to a source familiar, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the August 2004 event. The two teenagers Walz arrived with, Matt Klaber and Nick Burkhart, were not his students, the Washington Examiner confirmed.

Moreover, the teenagers were barred from the event after a confrontation that made local news earlier in the week — leading to them initially being denied tickets.

And while Walz framed the squabble as the “moment that I decided to run for office” since he had “never been overly involved in political campaigns,” evidence suggests that Walz was already politically active by that point: He participated days earlier in an anti-Bush protest before the 2004 Bush rally in Mankota, Minnesota, on Aug. 4, an image confirms.

This report is based on public records, including Walz’s prior comments, documents obtained by the Washington Examiner, archived local news reports, and information provided by two sources with direct knowledge of the 2004 Bush event.

“He was looking for an origin story,” Chris Faulkner, a former Bush campaign staffer in Minnesota in 2004 who worked the August rally, told the Washington Examiner. “And he made one up.”

Walz, the governor of Minnesota and 2024 running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, has said Burkhart and Klaber were his own students. This is untrue.

“I wished to hear directly from the President and my students, regardless of political party, deserved to witness the historical moment of a sitting president coming to our city,” Walz posted on social media in 2020. Walz said in an interview with a Minnesota news outlet in 2022 that he told the Bush event’s staff he was “their teacher,” referring to Burkhart and Klaber, upon the trio being questioned to get into the rally.

Burkhart did not attend Walz’s school. He went to Mankato East High School, according to records obtained by the Washington Examiner. He would later volunteer for Walz’s successful campaign in 2006.

Klaber, the other teenager, was not a student at Mankato West Senior High School, where Walz taught, at the time of the 2004 event. He never even took a class with Walz while attending the school, according to a source familiar.

A then-active Democratic activist, Klaber was part of the Gustavus College Democrats and would later volunteer for Walz’s congressional campaign in 2006, according to college meeting minutes reviewed by the Washington Examiner.

Walz has also said the Bush event staff’s discovery of the Kerry sticker prompted the moment of hostility. Important context is missing from his retelling of the events of that day.

That’s because Klaber and Burkhart had a public confrontation with the Bush campaign days before the 2004 rally. The teenagers were heard making “unfavorable comments” about Bush as they waited in line and were initially denied tickets, according to an archived news report.

After the story was reported by local news, because Klaber called the press, the Bush campaign contacted the teenagers and offered them tickets. In the lead-up to the 2004 election, there was heightened protest activity as police made arrests at campaign events. Klaber’s parents knew Walz and asked him to chaperone the teenagers to the event, expecting they may run into a problem.

They did: That day, as the trio waited in line, Bush campaign staffers told them that the Secret Service deemed Klaber and Burkhart a threat. Walz, in his retelling of the matter in 2006, said he was indignant. “As a soldier, I told them I had a right to see my commander in chief,” Walz said at a 2006 campaign event in Minnesota.

The Bush campaign staffers interrogated Walz and wanted to know if he supported Bush, according to Walz. But while the students were barred from the event, Walz was not, and walked right inside, one source said.

The sequence of events, as Walz tells it, inspired Walz to become politically involved. Days before the rally, Walz was already engaged in political protest.

A photo taken by then-Minnesota GOP aide Michael Brodkorb shows Walz clutching a sign before the rally that read, “Enduring Freedom Veterans for Kerry.”

The Enduring Freedom title is known to refer to people who served in Afghanistan — something Walz never did. Walz spent time in Italy and Norway supporting NATO forces. The 24-year Army National Guard veteran did not see combat.

“It’s clear he was politically involved before that moment,” Faulkner told the Washington Examiner. “He was protesting in front of the ticket distribution center. It’s all bulls***.”

In the fallout of the 2004 rally and Kerry’s loss, Klaber and Burkhart helped Walz sail to victory and earn a seat in Congress, according to a 2006 blog post.

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But as Walz ascended to the governor’s mansion in Minnesota and, now, to the vice presidential nominee slot, his factually inaccurate telling of the Bush story has continued to be told by media outlets. Aside from Walz’s characterization of his military service, the Democrat has faced scrutiny on the 2024 campaign trail over other claims about his background, including his wife’s fertility treatments and his relationship with a Muslim cleric who promoted antisemitic content on social media.

The Harris-Walz campaign did not return a request for comment.

Each year, for the past six years, The Athletic has published an annual agent survey, where they ask movers and shakers around the league various questions about teams, players, and league processes.

Historically, Washington has performed miserably in these surveys, with league sources describing the team as one of the least trusted in the league, and former front office staff, like Bruce Allen, as among the least well-regarded in the NFL.

Based on this year’s survey, however, things seem to be turning around a bit.

For instance, out of 30 respondents, eight of them (27%) considered Washington to be the franchise with “the best offseason.” A couple of those responses are below.

• “Commanders. The front office and coaching needed seismic changes. They were wise in free agency and drafted a quarterback (Jayden Daniels) at two. I do not see immediate success, but adding the required building blocks has begun.”

• “Dan Quinn is the perfect hire as head coach for the needed culture change. I love the pairing with (GM Adam) Peters. They have so much work to do beyond football.”

Additionally, Adam Peters was tied with Brian Gutekunst (behind John Schneider and Brett Veach) as the third best talent evaluator in the league.

• “Peters might be a curious choice since he just got a GM job, but look at his time with the 49ers and the start with Washington. They’ve already done an excellent job flipping around the scouting department. Just having a scouting structure is something that Washington hasn’t had for about 20 years. … No GM is the sole evaluator of a team.”

Similarly, Peters was tied for third with Nick Caserio and Omar Khan as one of the “most trusted” GMs in the league (behind Eliot Wolf and Veach).

As it pertains to encouraging news about the future, Washington’s Senior VP of football operations, Brandon Sosna, was named the second most likely “future GM” (behind the Bears Ian Cunningham).

• “I can give several reasons for choosing Brandon Sosna. He is transparent and beyond intelligent. At a very young age, he has been a crucial figure in two organizations at a high level. He’s only 31 now. It’s a coup for Washington.”

As always, I recommend a subscription to The Athletic, which is doing some of the best reporting on the NFL around, where the full article can be accessed.