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Confirmed Nation
By the Patriot Watch Desk
Published July 17, 2026 at 3:19 AM ET · Updated July 17, 2026 at 10:08 AM ET

The State Department pushes back after Tim Walz doubles down on pardoning a convicted child rapist.

2 independent outlets are covering this story. Verification: Confirmed — reported independently by wire/mainstream and conservative outlets. Patriot Watch links to original reporting; we don't republish it.

Read the story at Fox News →

What we know

The State Department pushed back after Tim Walz doubled down on his decision to pardon a convicted child rapist. The dispute escalated over the governor's continued defense of the pardon.

Patriot Watch first flagged this story 8 hr ago, when State Dept reported it. Coverage has since grown to 2 independent outlets. The most recent report came 2 hr ago from Fox News. Verification tier: Confirmed — reported independently by wire/mainstream and conservative outlets.

Conservative & independent coverage (2)

Fox News 2 hr ago
State Department fires back after Walz doubles down on pardon of convicted child rapist
State Dept 8 hr ago
dvprogram - U.S. Department of State (.gov)

Coverage timeline

Jul 17, 3:19 AM ET
8 hr ago
State Dept
dvprogram - U.S. Department of State (.gov)
Jul 17, 9:12 AM ET
2 hr ago
Fox News
State Department fires back after Walz doubles down on pardon of convicted child rapist
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