MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota’s former Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty, is criticizing at President Barack Obama’s economic record as he arrives in Minnesota to talk about jobs for veterans.

Obama is speaking at noon Friday at Honeywell’s International Campus in Golden Valley. Pawlenty pointed to the news that U.S. employers added only 69,000 jobs in May, the smallest number in a year, as evidence that Obama’s economic policies are stifling job creation.

Pawlenty spoke to the press on behalf of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Asked about vice presidential ambitions, Pawlenty said again he’s not interested in the job but wouldn’t decline if asked to serve.

After the Honeywell event, Obama is attending a trio of Democratic fundraisers in downtown Minneapolis.

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