New details from a report about U.S. Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Walsh’s (D-MT) reveal that the U.S. Army formally reprimanded Walsh for improperly using government resources for personal gain.
Montana’s lieutenant governor John Walsh, the former commander of the Montana National Guard, was formally reprimanded by the U.S. Army in 2010 over his advocacy of an organization that promoted National Guard interests.
The report on Walsh was turned over to the Army JAG, which resulted in a “memorandum of reprimand.” The memo concluded that Walsh violated federal codes of ethics by using official resources to advance his own interests.
The Inspector General report referred the matter to the Army JAG, or Judge Advocate General. That in turn resulted in a “memorandum of reprimand” obtained Friday by MTN News under the Freedom of Information Act.
That memo says Walsh, now a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, violated federal codes of ethics when he used government resources in the effort.
Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the vice chief of staff of the Army, signed the memo and noted that Walsh’s actions created doubt about Walsh’s “ability to lead.”
The memo, signed by Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, vice chief of staff of the Army, notes that it does not constitute “punishment” under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but it also says that Walsh’s “failure to adhere to Army Values causes me to question your ability to lead.”