Governor Walz commented on Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s claims of hesitation to send in the National Guard to Minneapolis on May 27 with the following statement, “I don’t think the mayor knew what he was asking for…I think the mayor said, ‘I request the National Guard, whew, this is great. We’re going to have massively trained troops.’ No. You’re going to have 19 year olds who are cooks.”

Senator Jason Rarick (R-Pine City) responded to the governor’s statement with the following:

“The National Guard does a great job wherever they are deployed, whether it’s Africa, the Middle East, or their own backyard in Minneapolis. They may not be regular military, but they are highly trained, ready to sacrifice, and worthy of our respect.

“The late deployment of troops to quell violence in the city was never a matter of how trained or ready they were. In fact, they were the only reason peace and order was restored.

“To call the sons and daughters who put themselves on the line that night ’19 year old cooks’ is nothing short of a slap in the face and a way to deflect political blame.  Our guardsmen deserve better.”