Walz Dithered While Minneapolis Burned

VP Harris’s choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate has prompted examinations of his role in the Minneapolis riot of May 2020. Heather MacDonald has this op-ed in the WSJ, with the above title.

The protests included widespread looting and arson. Rioters then attacked the firefighters as they responded to the fires, further aggravating the damage. The police and their station house were also attacked.

Despite repeated requests from the mayor, Gov. Walz sent only a small contingent of the National Guard on the evening of the second day of rioting–too little, too late. Not until the fourth day did the Guard arrive in force.

What does Gov. Walz say in defense? Apparently not much, even to friendly media, as far as I can find in a quick scan. This article in the NYT and this article in USA Today both say they asked for responses and got little or nothing. The NYT article says:

Mr. Walz declined to be interviewed for this article. In a statement, a spokesman for the governor, Teddy Tschann, said it had been “a tragic time for our state and our country” and that “Governor Walz took action and deployed the National Guard to keep our city safe.”

That kind of vague statement is pretty much an admission.