Herschel Walker threatens to sue Daily Beast over abortion article

Herschel Walker, who has taken an unyielding stance against abortion rights as the Republican nominee for Senate in Georgia, threatened on Monday to sue the Daily Beast after it reported that Walker once paid for a girlfriend’s abortion.

“This is a flat-out lie — and I deny this in the strongest possible terms,” Walker posted on Twitter, in response to the Daily Beast article.

The news outlet reported that a woman, whom it did not identify, said Walker reimbursed her for an abortion after they conceived in 2009. In the article, published on Monday evening, the Daily Beast posted as corroboration of the woman’s account images of a receipt from the clinic, a sympathy card from Walker and a check that Walker had written. POLITICO has not independently verified the Daily Beast’s reporting.

The Senate candidate characterized the article as “slander,” “defamatory” and “disgusting, gutter politics,” and called the article’s author “a democrat activist disguised as a reporter.” Walker said on Twitter that he planned to sue the publication on Tuesday morning.

The candidate, a former pro football star backed by former President Donald Trump, has saidhe supports an exception-free ban on abortion, telling reporters in May that “there’s no exception in my mind” for the procedure. The stance goes further than many of his Republican colleagues, some of whom support exceptions for rape, incest or other circumstances.

Walker faces a tight race against Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock for a seat that could be crucial in determining whether Democrats maintain their slim majority in the upper chamber.

If Walker wins his race, it won’t be the first time a conservative candidate has overcome accusations of funding abortions. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) has served in Congress since 2011, despite reports since 2012 that he paid for his ex-wife’s abortions.