Here are excerpts of the Star Tribune interview with Jesse Ventura on Tuesday night after the verdict in his favor.

In explaining why he believed some SEAL veterans described events that occurred at the California bar that the jury decided never happened, Ventura said: "The SEALs who testified for [Chris] Kyle lived by the SEAL creed. It says, 'Deny, admit nothing, decry everything and make counteraccusations,' and that's what they did when they went up on the stand."

Asked his reaction to SEALs who said they once considered him an idol and now have a bad opinion of him, Ventura offered one word: "Heartbreaking." Asked to elaborate, he said, "I have a hole in my heart that can never be replaced. There's not enough money to make that right."

Asked how so many of the witnesses against him could claim he was punched in a bar and made anti-SEAL remarks, Ventura said, "In the Navy there are things called stories. That's when one sailor tells a lie to another one, and that one repeats it three times and it becomes a reality and the truth gets lost."

He said the story evolved because "they were heavily intoxicated. They made so much of it being a wake [at the California bar where the alleged incident occurred]. The wake had already occurred," Ventura said "This is what they call a SEAL wake where they go to a bar and drink and drink a lot …"

RANDY FURST