Herschel Walker denies paying for his girlfriend’s 2009 abortion

Dunwoody, Georgia. — Herschel Walker, who strongly opposed abortion rights as a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia, paid for an abortion for his girlfriend in 2009, according to a new report released late Monday. The candidate called the accusation “an outright lie” and said he would sue.

The Daily Beast spoke with a woman who said Walker paid for her abortion while they were dating. The news outlet has seen a receipt showing her payment of $575 for the procedure, a health card from Walker and records of her bank deposits that show an image of a $700 personal check from Walker dated five days after receiving the abortion receipt .

The woman said Walker urged her to terminate the pregnancy, saying the time was not right for a baby, according to The Daily Beast.

In a statement, Walker said he would file a lawsuit against the news outlet on Tuesday morning.

“This is an outright lie and I deny it in the strongest possible terms,” ​​he wrote.

Matt Fuller, political editor of The Daily Beast, tweeted in response: “I can tell you that we stand by every word and are very firm on the story.”

The reporter who wrote the story, Roger Sollenberger, tweeted: “Woman in response to Herschel Walker’s claim that our story about him paying for her abortion is a ‘blatant lie’: ‘That’s definitely not a lie! »

Walker appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News program Monday night, where Walker was asked if he remembered sending a $700 check to his girlfriend.

“Well, I sent money to a lot of people,” he said. “I give money to people all the time because I always help people. I believe in being generous. God has blessed me. I want to bless others.”

The allegation against Walker is the latest in a series of stories about the football legend’s past that have rocked the front-runner’s campaign in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races. Earlier this year, Walker admitted to reports that he had three children, which he hadn’t talked about publicly before.

Walker has often bragged about his work helping service members and veterans struggling with mental health. Yet the Associated Press reported in May that various records showed he exaggerated his role in a for-profit program that allegedly preyed on veterans and service members while defrauding the government.

The AP also reported that a review of public records detailed accusations that Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife’s life, exaggerated claims of financial success and alarmed business associates with unpredictable behavior. Walker himself has at times discussed his long struggle with mental illness.

His son Christian tweeted Monday night“I know my mom and I would really appreciate it if my father, Herschel Walker, would stop lying and making fun of us. You are not a ‘family man’ when you left us with a bunch of women who threatened to kill us and made us move 6 times in 6 months to escape your abuse.”

As a candidate for the Senate, Walker supported a national ban on abortion with no exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or a risk to the woman’s health — especially notable at a time when Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court and Democrats in Congress debated codifying abortion rights into federal law.

“I’m pro-life,” Walker said repeatedly during his campaign. When asked whether he allowed any exceptions, he said there were “no excuses” for the procedure.

As the GOP candidate, Walker dodged many questions about his past support for a national abortion ban, instead trying to turn the issue against his Democratic rival, Sen. Raphael Warnock, who supports abortion rights. Walker often characterizes abortion as “a woman killing her child” and says she doesn’t understand how Warnock, a Baptist pastor, can support the legality of the procedure.

On the campaign trail in Dunwoody, a suburb of Atlanta, on Monday night, Warnock emphasized his support for abortion rights.

“I deeply respect life. I deeply and abidingly respect choice. I think the patient room is too small and cramped for the woman, her doctor and the United States government,” he said, emphasizing Walker’s support. for a national ban.

Warnock was dismissive of The Daily Beast’s story and when asked if it could affect the outcome in Georgia. “I’ll let the experts decide,” he said.