DUNWOODY, Ga. (AP) — Herschel Walker, a former staunch opponent of abortion rights, paid for his girlfriend’s abortion in 2009, according to a new report released Monday night. The candidate called the allegation an “outright lie” and said he would prosecute.
The Daily Beast interviewed a woman who said Walker paid for her abortion when they were dating. The news outlet looked at a receipt showing she paid $575 for the surgery, as well as a Walker rehab card and her bank records showing a $700 personal check that Walker wrote five days after the abortion receipt. Image.
According to the Daily Beast, the woman said Walker encouraged her to end her pregnancy, saying it was not the right time to have children.
Walker said in a statement that he would file a lawsuit against the news outlet on Tuesday morning.
“This is an outright lie – I deny it in the strongest terms,” he wrote.
Matt Fuller, political editor for The Daily Beast, responded on Twitter: “I can tell you we stand by every word and feel very strongly about this story.”
Later Monday night, Walker appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show and was asked if he remembered sending his girlfriend a check for $700.
“Well, I send money to a lot of people,” he said. “I’ve been giving money to people because I’ve been helping others. I believe in generosity. God has blessed me. I want to bless others.”
The allegations against Walker are the latest in a series of stories about the football legend’s past that have rocked the first-time candidate’s campaign in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races. Earlier this year, Walker admitted to reports that he has three children, which he has not spoken about publicly before.
Walker often touts his work helping service members and veterans grapple with mental health. However, the Associated Press reported in May that various records show he exaggerated his role in a for-profit scheme that allegedly defrauded the government while looting veterans and service members.
The Associated Press also reported in July that a review of public records detailed allegations that Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife’s life, exaggerated claims of financial success and alarmed business partners with unpredictable behavior. Walker himself has sometimes spoken about his long struggle with mental illness.
As a Senate candidate, Walker supported a nationwide ban on abortion, including in cases involving rape, incest, or threats to a woman’s health — especially after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court and Democrats in Congress have been Discuss codifying abortion rights into federal law.
“I’m here for a living,” Walker said repeatedly on the campaign trail. When asked if he allowed any exceptions, he said there was “no excuse” for the procedure.
As the Republican nominee, Walker has sidestepped many questions about his earlier support for a national abortion ban, trying instead to turn the issue to his Democratic rival, Sen. Raphael Warnock, who supports abortion rights. Walker has often described abortion as “a woman killing her child” and said he did not understand how Warnock, a Baptist pastor, could support legalizing the procedure.
Warnock emphasized his support for abortion rights during a campaign event in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody on Monday night.
“I have a deep respect for life. I have a deep and abiding respect for choice. I believe a patient’s room is too small, a woman, her doctor and the U.S. government too small,” he said. said, and highlighted Walker’s support for a nationwide ban.
Warnock was dismissive when told about The Daily Beast’s story and when asked if it would affect the Georgia outcome. “I’ll let the authorities decide,” he said.