Herschel Walker, the GOP Senate nominee in Georgia, said Monday that he plans to sue a news website after it reported he paid a woman to have an abortion in 2009.
Mr. Walker said a story the Daily Beast posted Monday is a “flat-out lie” and said, “I deny this in the strongest possible terms.”
“It’s disgusting, gutter politics,” Mr. Walker said in a statement posted on social media. “I’m not taking this anymore. I plan to sue the Daily Beast for this defamatory lie.”
Mr. Walker is running as a staunchly pro-life Republican in a tight race with Sen. Raphael Warnock, a pro-choice Democrat.
The Daily Beast reported a woman, who asked not to be identified out of privacy concerns, said Mr. Walker urged her to get an abortion after she got pregnant when they were dating.
The woman backed up her story by providing a $575 receipt from the abortion clinic, a “get well” card from Mr. Walker, and a bank deposit receipt that included a signed $700 personal check from Mr. Walker, according to the report.
The Daily Beast reported the woman attributed the difference between the amount of the Walker check and the cost of the abortion to her having guessed how much the procedure would cost after going online.
When asked about the Daily Beast’s evidence in an appearance Monday night on Fox News Channel, Mr. Walker said the cards and check don’t prove he paid for an abortion.
Herschel Walker responds to abortion allegations:
“I never asked anyone to get an abortion, I never paid for an abortion. It is a lie … they think they can threaten me. They think they can scare me … all they’ve done is energize me more.” pic.twitter.com/lsjQJ4yjKN
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) October 4, 2022
“I send out so many get-well [wishes], send out so much anything,” Mr. Walker told host Sean Hannity.
“I never asked anyone to get an abortion, I never paid for an abortion,” he reiterated.
The Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision which provided a constitutional right to abortion, has thrust the issue of abortion to the forefront of the 2022 midterm elections.
The issue is a clear dividing line in the race between Mr. Warnock and Mr. Walker, who says he opposes abortion in all cases, including rape, incest and when the life of the mother is in jeopardy.
Mr. Warnock has the support of pro-choice activists and groups, including the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Source:Washington Times
