Herschel Walker, Georgia's Republican Senate nominee seeking to unseat Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), is facing new scrutiny after revelations of multiple children that had not been publicly discussed, as first reported by The Daily Beast.
Why it matters: Walker, who has spoken about the problem of "fatherless" homes, had only talked about his 22-year-old son, Christian, on the campaign trail. But the Daily Beast found Walker has three other children by three other women.
- In a statement from the campaign, Walker said that he had cited these children in a disclosure document during a past White House council appointment process: “I have four children. Three sons and a daughter. They’re not ‘undisclosed’—they’re my kids."
- Axios has reviewed the private document, which is not publicly available.
- "I support them all and love them all. I’ve never denied my children," he said. "I confirmed this when I was appointed to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, I just chose not to use them as props to win a political campaign. What parent would want their child involved in garbage, gutter politics like this?”
- “I can take the heat, that’s politics, but leave my kids alone," Walker said.
The big picture: This comes after a string of revelations about Walker's past inflated or false statements about his life, including claiming to have graduated from college and claiming that he worked in law enforcement.
Catch up quick: The Daily Beast first reported yesterday about one unknown son.
- Walker's campaign manager Scott Paradise told the news outlet: “Herschel had a child years ago when he wasn’t married. He’s supported the child and continues to do so. He’s proud of his children. To suggest that Herschel is ‘hiding’ the child because he hasn’t used him in his political campaign is offensive and absurd."
- When asked why Walker did not disclose the rest of his children when the first story came out, his campaign said their statement "speaks for itself."
The intrigue: Paradise pointed to Warnock's custody battle over his own two children as evidence of a "double standard." Warnock's ex-wife is seeking an increase in child support and other changes to their custody agreement.
