In addition to Herschel Walker being altogether completely and utterly unqualified to be a senator, his constant issue with the truth makes him a frightening possibility as a representative of Georgia.
According to new reporting from The Daily Beast, not only did Walker try to hide the fact that he had any children other than his 22-year-old son Christian, but he also apparently lied about the existence of his other kids—to his own campaign aides.
When rumors of Walker’s children from past relationships began to emerge, Walker's own aides had to press him for admission of the truth, The Daily Beast reports. In fact, just days after finally admitting to a secret 10-year-old son in June, Walker then finally admitted to fathering two more children not previously revealed. Then, according to People, he was forced to come clean about yet another child.
"I have four children. Three sons and a daughter. They're not 'undisclosed'—they're my kids," Walker said in a statement to The Daily Beast in June. "I support them all and love them all. I've never denied my children, I confirmed this when I was appointed to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, I just chose not to use them as props to win a political campaign. What parent would want their child involved in garbage, gutter politics like this?"
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But it’s more than the secret family. An unnamed adviser close to Walker told The Daily Beast that the campaign’s a wreck and the team has “zero” trust for the candidate.
Walker spits out lies “like he’s breathing,” the source said. “He’s lied so much that we don’t know what’s true,” they claimed, and even called Walker a “pathological liar.”
As we’ve reported at Daily Kos, Walker’s lies are ubiquitous.
The GOP and Trump-endorsed Walker has lied about everything from graduating from the University of Georgia, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, to mammoth exaggerations about his business acumen, to the tall tale about the time he founded (or co-founded) the organization Patriot Support—which he did not. He even recently tried to deny that former President Donald Trump ever said that the 2020 election was stolen.
But the real deal is that Republicans are counting on Walker to pull this off in Georgia, and the Senate GOP is struggling.
As Daily Kos staff writer Kerry Eleveld wrote, Walker’s campaign reported strong Q1 fundraising to the tune of $5.5 million—but that pales in comparison to the whopping $13.6 million raised by Georgia’s Democratic incumbent, Sen. Raphael Warnock.
The Daily Beast reports donors are running from Walker, citing as an example the notable reluctance from Walker’s once-generous megadonor, Bernie Marcus.
Walker’s aides say his incompetence, lack of predictability, and inexperience are all reasons they’ve tried to keep him from speaking publicly. But he can’t run forever. He’s got three debates scheduled with Warnock—an experienced senator and senior pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
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