One of the largest diamonds ever unearthed from a mine has been discovered in Botswana, the government of the southern African country announced Wednesday.

The massive, 2,492-carat diamond was recovered from Karowe Mine, known for previously producing four diamonds over 1,000 carats. Botswana said the stone is believed to be the second-biggest ever uncovered from a mine.

The Karowe Mine is operated by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp., which announced in a statement Wednesday that it recovered the "exceptional" rough diamond from the mine using X-ray technology. Lucara said the diamond was a "high-quality" stone and was found intact.

"We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond," Lucara president and CEO William Lamb said in the statement.

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The 2,492-carat stone is the largest diamond found in more than 100 years and the second largest ever dug out of a mine after the Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was 3,106 carats and was cut into gems, some of which form part of the British Crown Jewels.

The newly discovered diamond will be presented to the world at the office of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the Botswanan government said. Masisi will be one of the first to view it.

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Botswana is the second-biggest producer of diamonds and has unearthed all the world's biggest stones in recent years.

The 1,758-carat Sewelo diamond was brought out of the Karowe Mine in 2019 and was recognized as the second-biggest mined diamond in the world at that time. It sold to French fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed amount.

The mine also produced the 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, which was bought by a British jeweler for $53 million in 2017.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., told CNN host Brianna Keilar she should be questioning Gov. Tim Walz's, D-Minn., claims about his military record "rather than defending" him Wednesday. 

The "CNN News Central" host questioned Waltz Wednesday about a letter he and 50 Republican veterans in Congress penned to the Democratic vice presidential candidate about his "egregious misrepresentations."

Keilar accused the Florida representative of attacking Walz’s military service, but he disagreed with the characterization and said, "I am attacking the lies about his service."

She played a clip of veteran Joe Eustice who defended Walz and asked the congressman, "I mean that man hates Tim Walz’s politics, despises them, is not going to vote for him. But he served with him and he knows his service. So why are you and other Republicans doing this?"

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Waltz brought up the Minnesota governor repeatedly referring to himself as a retired command sergeant major despite not completing the requirements to earn the title.

"That may sound like semantics to some, but to veterans and particularly enlisted veterans, that matters. It’s a lie. It’s a misrepresentation and exaggeration, and he should account for that. I can tell you as —" Waltz said before being interrupted. 

"It’s not stolen — it’s not stolen valor," Keilar insisted. "I just want to be clear, and the letter, I’m reading this, I’m reading this, Mike, and quote ‘abandoning the men and women under your leadership, just as they were getting ready to deploy, was certainly not honorable either.’ That is an attack on his service."

"That is an attack on the decision to not go to combat with his unit as a leader," Waltz asserted.

Keilar repeatedly brought up Eustice as a counter to Waltz's arguments, despite several other veterans who'd served with the Minnesota governor coming out to criticize him.

As Keilar continued to badger Waltz about his letter, the GOP vet called on her to question Walz instead.

"Brianna, you know, rather than defending these decisions, I wish you would interview him and ask him those questions, or that he would at least sit down and answer for these inconsistencies," Waltz said.

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Keilar conceded Walz needed to answer questions regarding his military record but continued to push back against Waltz’s attacks.

"I don’t know if it’s worth burning down 24 years of service," Keilar said.

"I wish he would sit down instead of me or JD Vance and answer those questions. The American people deserve it. The veterans' community certainly deserve it," Waltz said.

Keilar came under fire earlier this month after suggesting Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance had exaggerated his own military record while attacking Walz.

Keilar said Vance was a combat correspondent, "But when you dig a little deeper into that, he was a public affairs specialist, someone who did not see combat, which certainly the title ‘combat correspondent' kind of gives you a different impression. So he may be the imperfect messenger on that."

She later appeared to walk back her comment, acknowledging that Vance "served honorably" while still defending Walz.

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"In a country where so few shoulder the burden, military service should not be a liability, it should be an asset," Keilar said. "And despite our recent years as a country at war, many service members haven't seen combat. That doesn't make them or their service less admirable, or less necessary. Nor does retiring from the National Guard after 24 years. These kinds of attacks from the left or the right diminish the service of so many others who have served honorably, who sacrifice time away from family, who put themselves in harm's way because the military is made largely of JD Vances and Tim Walzs."