Barely two hours after The Daily Beast broke the news that Herschel Walker paid for a girlfriend’s abortion in 2009, the vehemently anti-abortion rights Senate candidate appeared on Fox News’ Hannity for what he thought would be an easy denial. It didn’t go exactly as planned.
Sean Hannity began the interview by raising the “serious accusations” against his guest and tossing up a bit of a softball about whether Walker knows the anonymous woman making the allegation.
“I have no idea,” Walker replied, calling the story a “flat-out lie,” attempting to pivot to talk about “inflation, the border and crime,” and even making a plea for donations from viewers to his struggling campaign.
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But instead of letting him off easy, Hannity did the unexpected and dug into the details of the piece, which came with damning receipts, including a get-well card signed by Walker, a personal check, also signed by Walker, and an actual receipt from an abortion clinic.
Asked directly if that was his signature on the card, Walker claimed not to have seen the image in question—even as it appeared on screen beside him—and stammered through the excuse that he sends out lots of get-well cards. “But I can tell you right now, I never asked anybody to get an abortion, I never paid for an abortion, and it’s a lie,” he said. “And I will continue to fight.”
Then, just when Walker thought he had put the issue to bed with a semi-rousing speech about how this latest scandal has only “energized” him, Hannity came back with yet another question: “What about the $700 check? Is there anybody you can remember sending that much money to?”
After a lengthy pause, Walker said, “Well, I send money to a lot of people.” He chalked the payment up to an example of him “helping” people and being “generous,” adding, “God has blessed me, I want to bless others.”
The relatively tough questioning was all the more surprising because, more than anyone else in conservative media, Sean Hannity is responsible for making Walker a Senate candidate in the first place. He not only talked him up repeatedly on his Fox News show in the weeks leading up to his announcement, but even urged him to run directly on the air.
“I’m kind of hoping you might consider running for high office in Georgia,” Hannity told Walker in February 2021. “Would you consider that?” When Walker said he was considering it, the host offered up his endorsement on the spot, adding, “I’ll do whatever you want.”
