Walker claims he learned identity of woman who says he paid for her abortion for first time Friday

Herschel Walker, the Republican nominee for Senate in Georgia, told NBC News that he learned the identity of the woman who claims he reimbursed her for an abortion in 2009 for the first time on Friday.

Walker said in a brief interview with the outlet that Friday was the first time the woman ever mentioned having an abortion to him or his wife, NBC reported shortly after a report from The Daily Beast that the woman and Walker’s wife, Julie Walker, had engaged in a text conversation on Friday in which the woman made reference to the procedure.

Herschel Walker told NBC that the first he heard of the situation was a reporter asking him if he ever paid for the woman’s abortion.

“I’m not saying she did or didn’t have one,” he said, referring to an abortion. “I’m saying I don’t know anything about that. I don’t know.”

The woman said that Herschel Walker sent her a check for $700 to reimburse her for the procedure and a “get well” card, with The Daily Beast and The New York Times both saying she showed them a copy of the check and card.

Herschel Walker told NBC that he does not remember sending the check or the card. He said he could have sent the woman some money or a card but not for the purpose of her having an abortion.

The Daily Beast reported that Julie Walker texted the woman at 9:54 a.m. Friday to complain about a reporter investigating the existence of Herschel Walker’s children, three of whom were with women he was not married to.

The woman texted Julie Walker that Herschel Walker was being “cruel” in continuing to claim “he doesn’t know me or the abortion he paid for,” according to text messages provided to The Daily Beast.

NBC also obtained copies of text messages between the woman and Julie Walker, dating back to May, that were provided to the outlet by the Walker campaign.

The Daily Beast reported on Wednesday that the woman is the mother of one of Herschel Walker’s children. Herschel Walker faced controversy earlier in the campaign when it was revealed that he has a total of four children, one with his ex-wife and three with women he was not married to.

“He brought all of this on himself when he decided to get on a platform and denounce abortion and make a mockery of his children who have done NOTHING to deserve this,” the woman texted Julie Walker, according to The Daily Beast.

Herschel Walker has run for Senate on a platform firmly opposed to abortion, saying he does not support any exceptions.

The woman asked Julie Walker if she was aware of the abortion or that Herschel Walker had told the woman it wasn’t the “right time” to have a child after she became pregnant a second time with his son years after the procedure, according to The Daily Beast and NBC. The Times reported Friday that Herschel Walker urged the woman to have an abortion after she became pregnant the second time, but she refused, and they ended their relationship.

Julie Walker ignored the question and said that “this makes me incredibly sad” and that she has tried to serve as a “bridge” between the woman and Herschel Walker to put the son they have together first, according to The Daily Beast and NBC. She said Herschel Walker calls and texts with the son regularly and is sad when he does not get a response.

The woman responded, “Are you kidding me?” and “Stop lying,” per the outlets.

The Hill has reached out to Herschel Walker’s campaign for comment.

Herschel Walker has denied the allegations since the original report of the abortion came out on Monday. He had previously said on multiple occasions, including on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show and during a campaign stop, that he did not know the identity of the woman making the allegations.

The Daily Beast reported that the woman provided photographs supporting her assertion that Herschel Walker has met his son three times, two of them related to child support hearings. The outlet also said the woman shared screenshots of messages Herschel Walker sent to their son.

The outlet reported that Julie Walker has served as the go-between for Herschel Walker and the woman for years.

NBC reported that the texts it obtained show the woman was supportive of Herschel Walker’s candidacy earlier in the race, texting Julie Walker to congratulate him after he won the GOP primary in May. But the texting relationship between Julie Walker and the woman deteriorated after the woman began receiving phone calls from reporters about the reports of Herschel Walker having multiple children with different women, according to NBC.

The Times reported that the woman was “appalled” by Herschel Walker’s position on abortion.

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