When it comes to Herschel Walker’s incredibly messy personal life, it’s been difficult to keep up with the allegations. As the Georgia Republican’s Senate campaign got under way, the public knew of one ex-wife, whom Walker allegedly threatened to murder, an ex-girlfriend whom he also allegedly threatened to murder, and one adult son.
In recent months, that family tree has added some branches. As of this morning, Walker has four kids — three of whom he’d previously failed to disclose, and one of whom has denounced his candidacy and accused Walker of domestic violence. He’s had children with at least four women, one of whom has credibly accused Walker of paying for an abortion.
Recently, the GOP candidate has shifted attention to the fact that he’s also lied about having a background in law enforcement, but yesterday, as NBC News reported, Walker was confronted with new allegations about a former relationship.
[A] woman, who came forward anonymously as “Jane Doe” with the lawyer Gloria Allred, alleged that she and Walker, then a football star, met in the 1980s and ultimately “fell in love.” She said she learned in April 1993 that she had become pregnant and knew the child was Walker’s because “I was not intimate with anyone else at the time.”
The lawyer presented evidence suggesting that Walker, at a minimum, knew the woman raising the claims: There’s an apparent voicemail message Walker left, a photograph of him clothed on a bed, and greeting cards she says he signed.
The accuser also said at yesterday’s news conference, “After discussing the pregnancy with Herschel several times, he encouraged me to have an abortion.” According to her version of events, she went to a clinic but “couldn’t go through with” the abortion, which made Walker “upset.”
“He then drove me to the clinic the following day and waited for hours in the parking lot until I came out,” the woman said. “I was devastated, because I felt that I had been pressured into having an abortion.”
At this point, the claims remain unconfirmed and there’s no direct evidence corroborating the abortion allegation. Walker yesterday denied the latest allegations, though his earlier denials about related claims weren’t altogether persuasive.
And while the Republican’s defenders will no doubt see yesterday’s developments as part of a political ploy, his unnamed accuser emphasized to reporters that she voted for Donald Trump twice, but she’s speaking up because she does not believe Walker “is morally fit to be a U.S. senator.” For his part, the candidate turned to Fox News twice yesterday, telling viewers, “If they can do it to me, they’re gonna do it to you next.” I suppose there’s some truth to that. If anyone reading this has had four kids with four partners, mislead people about their existence, launched a Senate campaign, and been accused of paying for an abortion, it’s entirely possible that you might also be accused of paying for a different abortion. As for why any of this might matter in Georgia’s statewide contest, a recent Washington Post report summarized, “Walker is running on a platform that opposes abortion in all cases, without exceptions for rape or incest or to protect the life of the mother. He has said he would vote for a national ban of the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy. He has also criticized Black men for being absent parents.”
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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