Republicans drop ads for candidate who lied about Afghanistan tour > 자유게시판

The campaign arm of the Republican Party has dropped almost $1million in advertising for a candidate after it was revealed he lied about his military service. 

Trump-backed JR Majewski has campaigned as a military veteran who claims to have endured 'tough' conditions serving in , including a lack of running water that forced him to go more than 40 days without a shower.

But military documents obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request indicate Majewski never deployed to Afghanistan.

They show his 'combat service' involved completing a six-month stint helping to load planes as a 'passenger operations specialist' at an air base in Qatar, a comfortable US ally that was a safe distance from the fighting. 

Before that, the records state that Majewski was based at Kadena Air Base in Japan for much of his active-duty service. 

Yet just last year Majewski tweeted about 'going back to Afghanistan' amid the chaotic scramble to pull US forces out of the country. 

In interviews Majewski has been far less forthcoming when asked about the specifics of his service, having claimed to have served in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003.

In a 2021 interview on the One American Podcast, Majeski confirmed that he served one tour in Afghanistan, describing it as 'tough'.

'I don't like talking about my military experience,' he said. 'I really don't like to divulge a lot of things about the military because for me it was a tough time in life. You know, the military wasn't easy.'

Throughout his campaign Majewski has offered his Air Force service as a valuable credential. The tagline 'veteran for Congress' appears on campaign merchandise. 

He ran a Facebook ad promoting himself as 'combat veteran.' And in a campaign video released this year, Majewski marauds through a vacant factory with a rifle while pledging to restore an America that is 'independent and strong like the country I fought for.' 

More recently, the House Republican campaign committee released a biography that describes Majewski as a veteran whose 'squadron was one of the first on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11.' 

A campaign ad posted online Tuesday by Majewski supporters flashed the words 'Afghanistan War Veteran' across the screen alongside a picture of a younger Majewski in his dress uniform.

Military records show that Majewski's 'combat service' involved completing a six-month stint helping to load planes as a 'passenger operations specialist' at an air base in Qatar (pictured: Al Udeid Air Base 30 miles outside Doha, capital of Qatar), a comfortable US ally that was a safe distance from the fighting

Soldiers disembark from a plane upon returning home from deployment in Afghanistan, at Fort Drum, New York, US, September 6, 2021. Majewski has claimed that he served in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003

Experts argue that even Majewski's description of himself as a 'combat veteran' is misleading.

The term can evoke images of soldiers storming a beachhead or finding refuge during a firefight. But under the laws and regulations of the US government, facing live fire has little to do with someone earning the title.

During the Persian Gulf War, then-President George HW Bush designated, for the first time, countries used as combat support areas as combat zones despite the low-risk of American service members ever facing hostilities. 

That helped veterans receive a favorable tax status. Qatar, which is now home to the largest US air base in the Middle East, was among the countries that received the designation under Bush's executive order - a status that remains in effect today.

Majewski's campaign said that he calls himself a combat veteran because the area he deployed to - Qatar - is considered a combat zone. 

Regardless, it rankles some when those seeking office offer their status as a combat veteran as a credential to voters without explaining that it does not mean that they came under hostile fire.

Majewski also lacks many of the medals that are typically awarded to those who served in Afghanistan.

Though he once said that he went more than 40 days without a shower during his time in the landlocked country, he does not have an Afghanistan campaign medal, which was issued to those who served '30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days' in the country.

He also did not receive a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, which was issued to service members before the creation of the Afghanistan campaign medal if they deployed overseas in 'direct service to the War on Terror.'

Matthew Borie, an Air Force veteran who worked in intelligence and reviewed Majewski's records at AP´s request, said it's 'odd' that Majewski lacks many of the 'medals you would expect to see for someone who deployed to Afghanistan.'

There's also the matter of Majewski's final rank and reenlistment code when he left active duty after four years of service.

Most leave the service after four years having received several promotions that are generally awarded for time served. Majewski exited at a rank that was one notch above where he started. His enlistment code also indicated that he could not sign up with the Air Force again.

Majewski's campaign said he received what's called a nonjudicial punishment in 2001 after getting into a 'brawl' in his dormitory, which resulted in a demotion. Nonjudicial punishments are designed to hold service members accountable for bad behavior that does not rise to the level of a court-martial.

Majewski's campaign declined to make him available for an interview and, in a lengthy statement issued to the AP, did not directly address questions about his claim of deploying to Afghanistan. 

A spokeswoman declined to provide additional comment when the AP followed up with additional questions. 

In a statement, the Republican candidate for a northwestern Ohio congressional seat defended his military record.

'I am proud to have served my country. My accomplishments and record are under attack, meanwhile, career politician Marcy Kaptur has a forty-year record of failure for my Toledo community, which is why I´m running for Congress.' 

'As somebody who was in Qatar, I do not consider myself a combat veteran,' Don Christensen, a retired colonel and former chief prosecutor for the Air Force, said of Majewski. 

Majewski had a massive Trump mural painted on his lawn to campaign in the 2020 general election

The mural was done at Majewski's Ohio home before he ran for congress

'I think that would be offensive to those who were actually engaged in combat and Iraq and Afghanistan.'   

'Veterans have done so much for this country and when you claim to have done what your brothers and sisters in arms actually did to build up your reputation, it is a disservice.' 

Majewski's Buy Taboola Ads Account - VCC-Indonesia.Com of his time in the military is just one aspect of his biography that is suspect. His post-military career has been defined by exaggerations, conspiracy theories, talk of violent action against the US government and occasional financial duress. 

Still, thanks to an unflinching allegiance to former President Donald Trump - Majewski once painted a massive Trump mural on his lawn - he also stands a chance of defeating longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in a district recently redrawn to favor Republicans.

Majewski is among a cluster of GOP candidates, most running for office for the first time, whose unvarnished life stories and hard-right politics could diminish the chances of a Republican 'red wave' on Election Day in November. 

He is also a vivid representation of a new breed of politicians who reject facts as they try to emulate Trump.

With no previous political experience, Majewski is perhaps an unlikely person to be the Republican nominee taking on Kaptur, who has represented the Toledo area since 1983. 

But two state legislators who were also on the ballot in the August GOP primary split the establishment vote. 

That cleared a path for Majewski, who previously worked in the nuclear power industry and dabbled in politics as a pro-Trump hip-hop performer and promoter of the QAnon conspiracy theory. He was also at the US Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

J.R. Majewski, Republican candidate for U.S. Representative for Ohio's 9th Congressional District, speaks at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio., Sept. 17, 2022

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, speaks during an event at the Shipyards on Feb. 17, 2022, in Lorain, Ohio. Kaptur is seeking to retain her seat in Ohio's 9th congressional district, campaigning against Majewski

Majewski has not been charged in connection with the attack. But he has falsely stated that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and said that the insurrection 'felt like a setup' by police who were targeting Trump supporters.

In his statement, Majewski said, 'I deeply regret being at the Capitol that day' and 'did not break the law,' while calling for those who did to be 'punished to the fullest extent of the law.'

Majewski's resume exaggeration isn't limited to his military service, reverberating throughout his professional life, as well as a nascent political career that took shape in an online world of conspiracy theories.

Since gaining traction in his campaign for Congress, Majewski has denied that he is a follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory while playing down his participation in the Capitol riot.

The baseless and apocalyptic QAnon belief is based on cryptic online postings by the anonymous 'Q,' who is purportedly a government insider. It posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking.

'Let me be clear, I denounce QAnon. I do not support Q, and I do not subscribe to their conspiracy theories,' Majewski said in his statement to the AP.

The mischaracterizations extend to his professional career, in which he has repeatedly described himself as an 'executive in the nuclear power industry,' including in a campaign ad last spring.

But a review of his now-deleted resume on the website LinkedIn and a survey of his former employers do not support the claim.

He most recently worked for Holtec International, a Florida-based energy conglomerate that specializes in handling spent nuclear fuel. But he is not listed among the executives and members of the corporate leadership teams in current or archived versions of the company's website.

A spokesman confirmed Majewski was a former Holtec employee, but declined to offer details on his position or role, which Majewski's LinkedIn page described as 'senior director, client relations.'

Majewski's campaign declined to address his claim of being an executive, but said he participated in weekly conference calls with executives.

Majewski also described himself on LinkedIn as 'project manager - senior consultant' for First Energy, an Ohio based power company, a position that he stated he held since shortly after leaving the military. The company, Majewski explained in a biography posted to his website, quickly recognized him for his 'intellect and leadership capabilities'

Yet records from his 2009 bankruptcy raise questions about his seniority. They show he was an 'outage manager' who earned about $51,000 a year. In the bankruptcy, Majewski and his wife gave up their home, two cars and a Jet Ski to settle the case, court records show.

Still, in a nationalized political environment, some Republicans suggest none of this will matter to voters.

'At the end of the day, this will be a question of whether they want Nancy Pelosi leading the House or Kevin McCarthy,' said Tom Davis, a former congressman who led the House Republican campaign arm during George W. Bush's presidency. 'These elections have become less about the person. I wouldn't say candidates don´t matter, but they don´t matter like they used to.'