Herschel Walker, the Republican Senate candidate in Georgia, denied reports of having paid for his former girlfriend’s abortion, but he was put in a spot of bother by a series of explosive tweets by his son.
What Happened: Walker, a former football running back, forced his then-girlfriend to get an abortion done after they conceived a child in 2009, the Daily Beast reported.
The woman, whose identity was not revealed, said she got the procedure done, with the football legend paying for it, the report said. She produced the $575 receipt from the abortion clinic, “get well” card allegedly from Walker and the image of a signed $700 personal check as evidence.
Why It Matters: The revelation assumes importance because Walker has thrown his weight behind the anti-abortion camp, calling for a complete ban on abortion and likening it to murder.
In a subsequent interview with Fox New’s Sean Hannity, Walker brushed aside the report as a “flat-out lie," and instead deflected to other topics. When his former girlfriend's evidence of her abortion (including the $700 check) was presented, Walker said he gives money to a lot of people.
Son Lashes Out: Following these developments, Walker’s son Christian took to Twitter to lambast his father. He wouldn’t mind if someone had a bad past and took accountability, he said.
“But how DARE YOU LIE and act as though you’re some ‘more Christian upright man.’ You’ve lived a life of DESTROYING other people’s lives,” he tweeted.
Christian also said Walker wasn’t a family man, adding that when the footballer left him and his mother for other women, he gave them death threats.
I don’t care about someone who has a bad past and takes accountability. But how DARE YOU LIE and act as though you’re some “moral, Christian, upright man.” You’ve lived a life of DESTROYING other peoples lives. How dare you.
— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) October 4, 2022
He noted that every family member had discouraged Walker from running for office due to his past.
“He decided to give us the middle finger and air out all his dirty laundry in public, while simultaneously lying about it,” he added.
Walker has the backing of both former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell, who wasn't initially inclined toward the footballer, gave in because of the latter's celebrity status and his strong endorsement from Trump, according to CNN.
