The son of Herschel Walker, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Georgia, accused his father of "lying" and "making a mockery" of his family after a report alleged Walker had paid for his then-girlfriend to have an abortion in 2009.
Why it matters: The abortion allegations and stunning series of tweets from Christian Walker, a 23-year-old conservative TikTok influencer, could hurt Republicans' chances of winning in Georgia — one of the most important Senate battlegrounds in the country.
- Christian Walker introduced his father at one of the candidate's earliest fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida residence of former President Trump.
- Herschel Walker — who says he opposes abortion, with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother — vigorously denied The Daily Beast report that he paid for his girlfriend's abortion and said he would sue the outlet for defamation on Tuesday morning.
The latest: Christian Walker posted a video message Tuesday where he called out his father for lying and criticized political pundits for how they've responded to the situation.
- "Everything's been a lie. Everything's been downplayed. Everything's been cutting corners, the whole thing," Christian Walker said.
- "Don't lie. Don't put this on me. This is a candidate issue, not a 'me' issue. I wouldn't have spoken out if there weren't all these lies every day," he added.
- "You have no idea what I've been through in my life," he said. "You have no idea what me and my mom have survived. We could have ended this on day one. We haven't. I haven't told any stories. I'm just saying don't lie. Don't lie on my mom. Don't lie."
- "You don't get to pretend you're some moral family dad. You don't get to pretend all these things. Talk policy. Talk normal. Do not lie."
I’ve spoken to nearly all of the people who have attacked me and told them quietly that I didn’t want to be involved.
— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) October 4, 2022
Now they’re blaming me for everything I’m not responsible for. It’s disgusting. pic.twitter.com/rhMRNHMDaC
Christian Walker first tweeted out criticism of his father Monday night.
- "Every family member of Herschel Walker asked him not to run for office, because we all knew (some of) his past. Every single one. He decided to give us the middle finger and air out all of his dirty laundry in public, while simultaneously lying about it. I'm done," Christian Walker tweeted.
- "I know my mom and I would really appreciate if my father Herschel Walker stopped lying and making a mockery of us. You’re not a 'family man' when you left us to bang a bunch of women, threatened to kill us, and had us move over 6 times in 6 months running from your violence," he continued.
- "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."
Herschel Walker tweeted shortly after his son's comments: "I LOVE my son no matter what."
Context: Walker, a former football great at the University of Georgia, has acknowledged struggling with mental illness amid scrutiny about whether past allegations of violent behavior could sink his Senate bid.
- Walker's campaign has been marred by revelations that he inflated or made false statements about his past, including how many children he has.
- Walker is backed by both Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has admitted that "candidate quality" issues could cost Republicans the Senate in next month's midterms.
The big picture: Walker's race against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock — which the Cook Political Report rates as a "toss up" — is viewed as one of Republicans' best pickup opportunities on the Senate map.
