Atlanta — A the woman who said Herschel Walker paid for her 2009 abortion is the mother of one of his children, according to a new report Wednesday, undermining claims by the Georgia Republican Senate candidate that he didn’t know who she was.

The Daily Beast, which first reported the abortion on Monday, said it agreed not to identify the woman to protect her privacy. But Walker, who has expressed support for a national ban on abortion without exception, strongly denied the story, calling the abortion allegation “an outright lie,” threatening a lawsuit against the agency he has yet to file and saying he had no idea who the woman might be. .

So, The Daily Beast revealed Wednesday night that the woman, who has not been named, was so familiar with Walker that she said they conceived another child years after the abortion. She decided to go ahead with the next pregnancy, although she noted that Walker, like during the previous pregnancy, said it was not a good time for him, according to the agency.

Walker also denied the Daily Beast’s latest story late Wednesday night, saying in a statement, “As I said, there is no truth to this or any other Daily Beast report.”

CBS News has not confirmed any allegations or reports The Daily Beast.

Walker is scheduled to make a public appearance Thursday morning in Wadley, Ga., as part of his statewide Unite Georgia Bus Stop Tour.

The latest report suggests abortion will remain a central issue in the Georgia race, one of the nation’s tightest Senate races. Walker and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock are in a tight race that is seen as key to the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

It adds to a series of stories about the football legend’s past that have rocked Walker’s campaign. Walker is accused of repeatedly threatening his ex-wife’s life by exaggerating claims of financial success and overstating his role in a for-profit program that allegedly preyed on veterans and service members while defrauding the government.

Earlier this year, following a story by The Daily Beast, Walker acknowledged the existence of three children, about whom he had not previously spoken publicly.

The woman told The Daily Beast for a story Wednesday that Walker’s refusal to have an abortion was somewhat surprising to her.

“Of course I was stunned, but I guess I’m also not shocked that maybe there are so many of us that he really doesn’t remember,” the woman said. “But then again, if he really forgot about it, that’s also saying something.”

In a report by The Daily Beast published late Monday, the news outlet said it had reviewed a receipt showing payment for the procedure, as well as a health card from Walker and records of her bank deposits, which show an image of a personal check from Walker for $700 from five years ago . days after receiving an abortion.

During the Republican Senate primary, Walker openly supported a national ban on abortion with no exceptions in cases involving rape, incest, or a risk to the woman’s health — particularly prominently at a time when The 1973 Supreme Court precedent of Roe v. Wade was overturned 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 has at times dodged questions about his past support for a national abortion ban, a tacit nod to the fact that most voters, including many Republicans, want at least some legal access to abortion.

Following Walker’s denial of the original Daily Beast story, one of his sons, Christian Walker, said on Twitter“I would really appreciate it if my father, Herschel Walker, would stop lying and making fun of us.”

“Every member of Herschel Walker’s family asked him not to run because we all knew (some of) his past. Everyone. He decided to give us the middle finger and air all his dirty laundry publicly while lying about it at the same time. I’m done,” he said in another tweet.

Christian Walker has not yet responded to CBS News’ requests for additional comment. He posted more videos on Twitter on Tuesday, in which he said, “It’s literally his handwriting on the card.”

When asked about his son’s tweets, Herschel Walker’s campaign officials responded with text pointing to Herschel Walker’s tweet saying, “I LOVE my son no matter what.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/woman-at-center-of-herschel-walker-abortion-firestorm-also-says-she-also-had-a-child-of-his-report/