OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Though much of the media has focused on past personal issues and failings of Herschel Walker, the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, little attention has been paid by the same outlets to his opponent, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Despite the fact that the incumbent has a history of allegations of domestic violence and allowing abuse at a church camp, he has nevertheless largely avoided any serious scrutiny.
However, a new Warnock scandal has come to light and it is substantial enough that even POLITICO is reporting it.
The outlet notes that Warnock may have used campaign funds to battle back against a lawsuit pertaining to an issue that surfaced in 2019 before he was elected:
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) used campaign money to cover legal expenses for a lawsuit relating to his time as a church minister — transactions that raise questions about whether the spending runs afoul of federal rules governing personal use of campaign funds.
The case, first filed in 2019 by Atlanta resident Melvin Robertson, involved baffling and seemingly baseless allegations against Warnock that date back to 2005 when he was a pastor. It was dismissed by a federal district court judge in Georgia without any of the defendants being served.
But Robertson refiled a similar lawsuit in April 2021, outlining the same allegations against Warnock while also suing Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he has long served as senior pastor, and other public figures.
This time, Warnock was serving in the Senate. And he enlisted his campaign attorneys from Elias Law Group to represent him in the case, along with an Atlanta firm, Krevolin & Horst, which assisted ELG.
According to the report, it is a violation of the law to use campaign funds to fight a lawsuit that does not stem from one’s candidacy or from holding office.
Since the first lawsuit was filed in 2019 prior to Warnock even running for his current Senate seat, and the later suit in 2021 did not have any relationship with Warnock’s Senate service (the allegations are from the 2005-2008 timeframe), paying the ELG appears to be against the law.
Rafael Warnock allegedly used campaign funds for trial https://t.co/5CK9leuYIe
— GreeleyTribune.Net (@Greeley_Tribune) July 6, 2022
“As the report notes, the excuses for using the funds don’t add up. Past examples offered by Warnock to justify the expense all occurred while the cited politician was in office. That’s not the case for the Georgia senator, and he is attempting to stretch the standard far beyond how it has been applied in the past,” as Red State’s Bonchie noted.
“Now, will anything happen to Warnock? I wouldn’t hold your breath. Campaign finance laws are taken very seriously when a Republican is involved. When it’s a Democrat, violations are either ignored or result in a civil settlement,” he added.
As for Walker, who is backed by both former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), responded with fury last month to reports that suggested he was a delinquent father to one of his sons.
The Daily Beast reported that Walker fathered a son 10 years ago and was ordered by a court to provide child support. The same outlet then reported that Walker had another son who was not widely known.
For his part, Walker denied that latter allegation.
“I have four children. Three sons and a daughter. They’re not ‘undisclosed’ — they’re my kids,” Walker told The Daily Wire.
“I support them all and love them all,” he added. “I’ve never denied my children, I confirmed this when I was appointed to the President’s Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition, I just chose not to use them as props to win a political campaign.
“What parent would want their child involved in the garbage, gutter politics like this?” the former NFL great and Heisman Trophy winner added.
“Saying I hide my children because I don’t discuss them with reporters to win a campaign? That’s outrageous,” Walker added in his statement. “I can take the heat, that’s politics — but leave my kids alone.”
