Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) hit back hard at critics who have accused him of exaggerating his military record for political gain.

Moore sat down with Jonathan Martin for Politico’s On the Road in an episode released on Tuesday, where Martin asked about attacks on Moore in 2022 coming from operatives in his own political party.

“You got hit pretty hard in 2022 by your own party. It wasn’t just the right… I remember there was an oppo file dropped on your head saying, hey, you know Moore exaggerates this, that and everything. Is that something that you take to heart or is that a bad faith critique against you?” Martin asked.

“Listen, it doesn’t matter to me if it’s coming from a Democratic operative or a Republican operative. Right. You know what I always say? You know who it’s not coming from? The United States Army. They don’t question my story. You know who doesn’t question my story? The 82nd Airborne Division, who I served with in Afghanistan, or the Army that awarded me the Bronze Star and a combat action badge for my actions,” Moore said.

Moore apologized in 2024 for incorrectly stating on a White House fellowship application that he had received a Bronze Star. The governor explained that he was nominated for the Bronze Star and told it was approved by a commanding officer and that officer encouraged him to include it on the application. That commanding officer confirmed Moore’s story and said he thought Moore had received the Bronze Star. The governor went on to subsequently be awarded the Bronze Star in a private ceremony in 2024.

Moore was deployed from August 2005 to March 2006 in Afghanistan. He served in the Army Reserves from 1996-2014. He received multiple awards while in the service, including the National Defense Service Medal.

“I consider the source on all this and I consider their motivations,” Moore told Martin. “And I do think it’s part of a bigger point.”

The governor continued:

I understand that every single time that my story has been unique — I mean, again, you know, I saw my father die in front of me when I was three because he didn’t get the healthcare he needed, that I had handcuffs on my wrist by the time I was 11, that my mother didn’t her first job that gave her benefits until I was 14 years old, that I joined the Army when I 17, that I graduated from a two-year college, and I still went on to become a Rhodes Scholar — and I know that my story doesn’t seem normal in that way.

But the truth is, is that I’ve been very blessed because I’ve had people who’ve been willing to fight for me and every single time I had the opportunity to choose tough and to serve this country I have. If you look at who I am and what I say, I can tell my own story. I don’t need someone else to tell it. It’s like, you know, when I tell people that when I was 17 years old, I raised my hand to serve this country because I believe in this country that much, I can tell that story. I don’t need someone else to tell me.

“Does it piss you off?” Martin asked.

“Of course it pisses me off and it pisses me off because it’s like, all I’ve ever tried to do was to serve this country,” Moore said.

Watch above via Politico.

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