A new report from CNN reveals that Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)’s campaign website falsely listed Kirk as an Iraq War veteran even though the senator served stateside in the Navy Reserves during the conflict. Kirk’s inflated military record nearly cost him his Senate seat before.
According to CNN, “a once public, now private webpage” included the information, which brought back memories of Kirk’s 2010 race when he exaggerated his military service. Kirk’s current campaign told CNN that the website was not supposed to be public and was still in edits.
In 2010 during the campaign, Kirk had claimed he was the only member in Congress to serve “in” the Iraq war. Eventually, because he had actually served stateside, Kirk modified his position to say he served “during” the war. He also had to clarify that an award he said he had won was actually given to his entire unit.
“Campaign officials said a third-party vendor had drafted the language that they said had not been vetted or reviewed by the senator’s staff,” CNN reported.
