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GOP Senate hopeful Herschel Walker has criticized absentee fathers in the Black community, yet has a second child of his own that he doesn't see, the New York Times reports.
On Tuesday (June 14), Walker admitted to having another son who he's not in contact with.
The Daily Beast previously reported that Walker had a now-10-year-old son, and at the time of his birth, the child's mother was forced to sue the Georgia Senate nominee to obtain a declaration of paternity and child support. The lawsuit lasted until 2014, so the boy didn't take on Walker's last name or receive monetary support until he was well over two years old, according to reports.
Throughout his campaign speeches, Walker, who will face off against Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, has depicted himself as an exemplary father citing the relationship he has with his 22-year-old son Christian.
The former football player has repeatedly called fatherless homes a "major, major problem" in the Black community. Walker has also claimed to be "like a father" to many young people in Georgia.
In a 2021 interview, Walker compared Black fathers leaving their families to family separations during slavery. The Republican nominee touted that "the father leaves in the Black family. He leaves the boys alone so they'll be raised by their mom."
“If you have a child with a woman, even if you have to leave that woman — you don’t leave that child," Walker added during the interview with Diamond and Silk.
Walker's campaign manager, Scott Paradise, released a statement downplaying the reports.
“Herschel had a child years ago when he wasn’t married,” Paradise said. “He’s supported the child and continues to do so. He’s proud of his children. To suggest that Herschel is ‘hiding’ the child because he hasn’t used him in his political campaign is offensive and absurd.”
However, former Democratic lawmaker Bakari Sellers called out Walker's hypocrisy.
“@HerschelWalker out here lecturing black men on fatherhood and ain’t seen his kid since Obama’s first term,” Sellers tweeted on Tuesday.
The news comes amid a number of damning reports that have accused Walker of exaggerating and outright lying about details of his life before politics.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Walker lied about working for Georgia law enforcement and with the F.B.I. The Senate hopeful has also reportedly exaggerated the success of his poultry company, which collapsed years before he entered the race.
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