The Washington Post is facing backlash for quoting experts casting doubt on the validity of a bullet wound sustained by a top Republican Senate candidate in Afghanistan, while omitting their ties to the Democratic Party. The candidate, former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, initially claimed he accidentally shot himself while serving in Afghanistan but told the Post that he actually suffered the injury in combat. The Post interviewed individuals who questioned Sheehy’s story, including a doctor and an attorney who have donated to Democratic causes, but omitted their political affiliations.
Dr. Joseph V. Sakran, a Democrat donor and trauma surgeon, raised questions about the wound based on an X-ray provided by Sheehy. Sakran has donated to various Democrat candidates and causes and has publicly criticized former President Donald Trump. Former Air Force attorney Rachel VanLandingham, who has donated to ActBlue and Hillary for America, also questioned Sheehy’s failure to report the incident. Despite claiming to be neutral politically, VanLandingham has made several public statements critical of Trump and his supporters and has been a vocal supporter of President Joe Biden.
Katherine Kuzminski, the director of the Military, Veterans & Society program at the Center for New American Security, also questioned the likelihood of a civilian hospital reporting a years-old bullet wound to the Navy. Kuzminski, who has visited the Biden White House and expressed views critical of Trump and Republican criticism of military diversity initiatives, was another expert consulted by the Post. She painted Sheehy as a “deeply flawed hero” in a post on X following her contribution to the Post report.
Sen. Tom Cotton criticized the Washington Post article as a politically motivated smear, defending Sheehy’s record of service and pledging his fight against Biden’s policies. Sheehy’s campaign responded to the Post’s article by calling out the use of known Democrats for the story, suggesting a bias in the reporting. The Post, as well as the experts consulted in the article, did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. Sheehy, endorsed by Trump for the Montana Senate race, appears to be the target of a coordinated effort to discredit him through media coverage casting doubt on his military record.
