Less than 12 hours after being posted on a liberal website, the ABC, CBS, MSNBC and CNN morning shows on Tuesday devoted 24 minutes and three seconds to Daily Beast claims that Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker paid for an abortion in 2009. Back in 2020, the networks weren’t interested in domestic dispute police video of Walker’s Democratic opponent.
CBS Mornings hyped the accusations against the pro-life Walker for two minutes and 23 seconds. Co-host Nate Burleson touted, “Turning to the midterms where there's a new twist in the pivotal Senate race in Georgia. The website The Daily Beast is reporting Republican candidate Herschel Walker paid for a woman he was dating to get an abortion in 2009.”
Over on ABC’s Good Morning America, the morning show added an additional one minute and 43 seconds. Co-host George Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic operative and aide to Bill Clinton, opened the show by blasting,
Overnight, Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, who favors a ban on abortions blasts a report from The Daily Beast claiming he paid for a girlfriend to get an abortion as one of his sons lashing out at the former football star.
MSNBC’s Morning Joe piled on the most time: 15 minutes and 33 seconds. Co-host Willie Geist pushed the hypocrisy narrative as he explained the story: “Herschel Walker wants to completely ban abortion, likening it to murder...But the Daily Beast is reporting this morning that Walker urged a woman, who asked not to be identified because of privacy concerns, to have an abortion.”
CNN’s New Day discussed the Walker accusations for two minutes and 23 seconds. NBC’s Today on Tuesday did not report on the claims against the Republican.
Back in 2020, the networks buried a domestic dispute video involving the Democratic (and pro-abortion) Senator of Georgia Raphael Warnock. Here’s NewsBusters associate editor Nick Fondacaro:
Tuesday night, NewsBusters asked if the broadcast networks would care to cover the newly revealed police body camera video featuring Georgia Senate candidate Raphael Warnock (D) as they responded to a domestic dispute. Despite the alleged incident being contemporaneous and including video from the police response, ABC, CBS, and NBC omitted the story from their flagship morning and evening news programs in the 24 hours since the story broke on the Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson Tonight.
The hypocrisy on CBS was sponsored by Progressive insurance, on ABC by Carmax. Click on the links to let them know what you think.
Partial transcripts are below. Click “expand” to read more.
CBS Mornings
10/04/2022
7:14 a.m. EasternCBS GRAPHIC: Herschel Walker Abortion Revelation
NATE BURLESON: Turning to the midterms where there's a new twist in the pivotal Senate race in Georgia. The website The Daily Beast is reporting Republican candidate Herschel Walker paid for a woman he was dating to get an abortion in 2009. He strongly denies it. In his campaign for Senate, the former football star says he's staunchly anti-abortion. This comes as polls show Walker in a close race with Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock with 13 percent undecided. Nikole Killion is reporting all of this. Nikole, good morning.
NIKOLE KILLION: Hey, Good morning to you, Nate. Herschel Walker’s son posted a scathing reaction after this story broke. Meantime, Hershel Walker says he plans to sue the media outlet that wrote the story and called it a defamatory lie.
HERSCHEL WALKER: Right now, I'm for life and I'm not going to make an excuse for it.
KILLION: Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker says he is pro-life and supports a nationwide abortion ban with no exceptions.
WALKER: I believe in life. There's no excuses about it.
REPORTER: Rape, incest —
WALKER: I believe in life. I don't think I want to go into what it includes.
KILLION: But new reporting from The Daily Beast, which has not been independently confirmed by CBS nNws claims he encouraged a woman he was dating in 2009 to get an abortion and help pay for it. The woman, whose identity was not published, provided The Daily Beast with the receipt for the procedure, a get well card, and an image of $700 check allegedly signed by Walker.
WALKER: It is a flat out lie.
KILLION: Walker denied the allegations on Fox News Monday night.
WALKER: I can tell you right now I never asked anyone to get an abortion, I never paid an abortion. They think they can threaten me. They think they can scare me. Right now all that's done is energize me more that I'm going to fight and win the seat for the great people of Georgia.
KILLION: The Trump-backed nominee and football star is taking fire from his own family. Walker’s son Christian, a right-wing influencer posted, “I know my mom and I would really appreciate if my father Hercshel Walker stopped lying and making a mockery of us.” Walker’s opponent, Senator Rafael Warnock hasn’t weighed in on this controversy. But in a sign of how competitive this race is, new fund-raising numbers show he raised more than $26 million in the last three months. Walker's camp has yet to report its latest numbers. Tony?
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ABC's Good Morning America
10/04/2022
7:01 a.m. Eastern [TEASE]GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Overnight, Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, who favors a ban on abortions blasts a report from The Daily Beast claiming he paid for a girlfriend to get an abortion as one of his sons lashing out at the former football star.
(....)
7:16 a.m. Eastern
STEPHANOPOULOS: To politics now and with the midterm elections just weeks away, a major shake-up in Georgia's Senate race. Herschel Walker, who backs an abortion ban, is denying a report that he paid for an abortion over a decade ago. Congressional correspondent Rachel Scott has the latest.
HERSCHEL WALKER: Let me hear Herschel Walker! Come on!
RACHEL SCOTT: This morning, Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker denying an explosive report by The Daily Beast alleging the candidate, who opposes abortion, not only encouraged his then-girlfriend in 2009 to get an abortion herself, but paid for the procedure. The former NFL player quickly denied the allegations tweeting, “This is a flat-out lie and I deny this in the strongest possible terms.” The Daily Beast says the woman, who asked to not be identified, provided a receipt from the clinic, a get well card she said was from the Heisman trophy winner and image of a check that appears to be from Walker for $700. Overnight on Fox News Walker claimed it was a political attack.
WALKER: I never asked anyone to get an abortion. I never paid for an abortion.
SCOTT: He said he sends money to a lot of people.
SEAN HANNITY: Do you know the woman that is making this allegation?
WALKER: I have no idea, but it is a flat out lie.
SCOTT: And now one of Walker's sons blasting his father's decision to run for office. Christian Walker, an outspoken conservative with a large social media following tweeted, “Every family member of Herschel Walker asked him not to run for office.” Saying that his father chose to “air out all of his dirty laundry in public while simultaneously lying about it.” This could have big implications, George. This is a race that could determine which party controls the Senate, George.
