Georgia GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker joked that he had to ‘slap’ his grown child Christian on the same day the son publicly disowned his father, accusing him of lying in his denials that he paid for a girlfriend’s abortion .
Even as Christian accused his former NFL star father of domestic abuse, Walker joked about slamming his son in remarks at a prayer luncheon Tuesday at First Baptist Atlanta, according to a recording of the event released by HuffPost.
‘The truth is, go to church. I remember we had come out of the church. I told my son — and I have to go back to him and beat him up,’ Walker said on the tape, drawing laughs from the evangelical crowd.
The family drama exploded after Walker, a staunch opponent of abortion, vehemently denied a Daily Beast report that he encouraged and paid for a woman’s abortion in 2009.
At Tuesday’s luncheon at First Baptist, a Southern Baptist megachurch, Walker did not directly address the allegations that surfaced a day earlier and was warmly received by the congregation, according to reports of the event.
Georgia GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker joked about slapping his son Christian at a prayer luncheon Tuesday at First Baptist Atlanta (above), according to a recording
Christian (right) publicly disowned his father, accusing him of lying in his denials that he paid for a girlfriend’s abortion
Christian, 22, was until recently Walker’s only publicly acknowledged child, although the candidate confirmed this summer that he had three other children with other women.
In two videos posted to Twitter on Tuesday morning, Christian claimed he had ‘remained silent’ while ‘atrocities’ against his mother – Walker’s ex-wife – were ‘downplayed’ by the candidate and his allies.
Christian has made a name for himself as an outspoken conservative personality on social media. His profile rose sharply after his father declared he would challenge Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in November.
But after the Daily Beast reported that Walker paid for his girlfriend to terminate her pregnancy and sent her a ‘get well’ cart after the fact — a claim the former NFL star has vehemently denied — Christian accused his father for being a hypocrite and a neglectful parent.
Christian also supported his mother’s previous claims of physical abuse and violence during her marriage to the Walkers.
‘I remained silent as the atrocities committed against my mother were downplayed. I stayed silent when it came out that my father, Herschel Walker, had all these random kids all over the country — none of whom he raised,” Christian said in the first of two short videos.
At Tuesday’s luncheon at First Baptist, a Southern Baptist megachurch, Walker did not directly address the allegations that surfaced a day earlier and was warmly received
First Baptist Atlanta senior pastor Anthony George leads a prayer in support of Walker during the Senate candidate’s visit to the influential church
Once a rising conservative star, Christian has faced fierce backlash from GOP pundits over his public rebuke of his father, which could cost the party control of the Senate.
Meanwhile, the elder Walker on Thursday dug into his denials of the Daily Beast’s successive reports that he paid for an abortion and then fathered a child with the same woman.
Walker told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday morning that he would have admitted if he paid a former partner for him to terminate their child’s pregnancy, claiming it is ‘nothing to be ashamed of’ despite his consistent pro- life attitude.
He blamed the stories on Democrats and their “desperation” — a defensive tactic used by Walker’s friend and ally, former President Donald Trump, to weather countless controversies on his way to the White House.
‘I know why you are here. I do, he told reporters after his first public campaign speech since The Daily Beast’s initial report on Monday.
‘You’re here because the Democrats are desperate to hold on to this seat here, and they’re desperate to make this race about my family.’
He went on to repeat: ‘This abortion thing is fake. It is a lie.’
Christian exploded at his father on Twitter both Monday night and Tuesday morning
He accused Walker of threatening his life and the life of his mother, Walker’s ex-wife
Walker promised in the hours after a Monday report to sue the news outlet, but has not followed through with confirmation that he has done so.
And he has yet to clarify why he initially said he had no idea which woman could make such an abortion claim, only to have The Daily Beast on Wednesday follow up with the woman who said she had had a long relationship with Walker that included a child he knows of.
The accusations have shaken one of the country’s most important Senate races. Walker is in a tight race with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, the outcome of which potentially will determine which party controls the Senate for the final two years of President Joe Biden’s term.