Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker on Wednesday emphatically denied paying for an abortion or even discussing one with the woman who accused him of doing so.
In his first network interview since the allegations came out last week, pro-life Walker told ABC News’ Good Morning America: ‘Yes she’s lying, yes she’s lying, yes she’s lying.’
The former football star’s campaign was dealt a blow when the Daily Beast reported that he allegedly asked an ex-girlfriend to get an abortion in 2009 and paid for it. The bombshell grew when the outlet subsequently reported that the woman is the mother of one of Walker’s four children – and that he allegedly pressured her to have a second abortion, which she refused.
He went a step further and suggested his son Christian Walker, who has vocally criticized his father in the report’s wake, was being ‘paid’ by his political opponents.
‘I hope they’re paying him a little bit. But I love him to death,’ Walker said in a separate interview with Fox News also published on Wednesday morning
In a preview clip shared on Tuesday night, Walker dismissed the notion that his self-confessed struggles with memory loss could have led him to simply forget about the issue.
‘That was before- that was like, what, 20 years ago?’ he said.
President Biden offered a brief analysis when asked about his thoughts on the ongoing scandal on Wednesday and whether he thinks Democrats will hold onto Georgia’s Senate seat.
‘Negative and yes,’ the president answered.
Walker, who insists he’s pro-life and has gone out of his way to criticize absentee black fathers, also denied the woman’s accusations that he only saw their 10-year-old son three times in person.
Herschel Walker spoke to ABC News and Fox News in dual interviews published Wednesday morning as his campaign grapples with allegations that he paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion in 2009
‘Well, that’s not true. I’ve seen him a little bit more than that. But that’s one of the things I don’t get into, because they make it difficult for me to see him,’ Walker said on Wednesday morning.
He said of his four children: ‘If they needed me, they know to call.’
However, he also downplayed the recent emotional outbursts from his 23-year-old son Christian Walker, the only one of his children who is publicly named, after the young adult took to Twitter to vent about his father’s allegedly abusive tendencies and lack of care for his family.
Christian, a conservative social media star, said last week in the wake of the allegations: ‘He has four kids, four different women. Wasn’t in the house raising one of them.’
‘I love Christian and that’s what’s so funny, I love Christian and I’ve always loved Christian,’ Walker said. ‘They know I’ve been with my son through everything and that’s what I’m saying.’
In his interview with Fox News published on Wednesday morning, Walker insinuated that his son was being bribed by his political rivals.
‘I love him to death. I hope they’re paying him. I’ve been paying his rent for a long time. So I hope they’re paying him a little bit. But I love him to death,’ the ex-NFL player said.
He also downplayed the rage expressed by his 23-year-old son Christian, who accused him of threatening his life and that of his mother’s, Walker’s ex-wife, and calling out his hypocrisy over ‘family values’
He charged that Democrats were ‘coming up with anything they can come up with’ to derail his campaign with the midterm elections less than a month away.
Walker’s bid to unseat freshman Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock is among the most closely watched races of the entire 2022 cycle.
He told Fox of his opponents, ‘They don’t realize that they’ve woken a grizzly bear.’
‘Now they got a fight on their hand. Before I was just going to beat them by a little bit. Now I’m going to beat them by a lot,’ Walker said.
A recent Emerson poll shows him trailing Warnock by just a few points. The survey’s previous installation, before the abortion allegations surfaced, showed Walker with a slight lead.
Despite the controversy, he remained insistent that he’s pro-life and a strict adherent to Christianity.
Asked if he supports an abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest, Walker told ABC: ‘The Georgia heartbeat bill accounts for all that. That’s what I said. It’s in a democratic process of the people, and that’s what I’ve said. I’ve said, guys, I believe in life. I’m a Christian.’
The law, which went into effect in the Peach State over the summer, forbids abortions after six weeks unless it’s a case of rape or incest – but only if a police report is filed.
He also grew emotional during the ABC interview when asked why he was running, insisting that it’s not about politics.
Christian had previously accused Walker of diving into the race despite pleas from his family not do get involved.
‘I told everyone, I’m not running because I want to be a senator. I’m running because I’m sick and tired, people are dying, people can’t eat because of the people in Washington – what they’re doing to people,’ Walker said, his voice shaking.
‘And then they lie. This is not a new normal. Let’s get it straight.’