Herschel Walker keeps mixing up his story as he tries to fend off abortion scandal: columnist

On Friday, writing for MSNBC's MaddowBlog, columnist Steve Benen outlined how NFL veteran and Georgia GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker can't keep his own story consistent as he tries to defend himself against the bombshell report that he secretly paid a woman he impregnated to have an abortion — and is in cases even confirming details of the story that the reporters had kept out for privacy reasons.

"I’m occasionally reminded of a brutal paragraph Politico published in August, summarizing the GOP candidate’s background," wrote Benen. "Walker, Politico noted, “has lied about his educational achievements, his participation in law enforcement and the FBI, the size and success of his business ventures, and the number of children he has. ‘He’s lied so much that we don’t know what’s true,’ a Walker adviser told The Daily Beast. ‘I’m going to blow your f’ing brains out,’ he once told his ex-wife, according to his ex-wife. He told an ex-girlfriend in 2012 that he was going to ‘blow her head off’ and then ‘blow his head off,’ according to the ex-girlfriend."

Now, Benen, wrote, Walker's lies about the abortion incident don't even agree with each other.

"Walker and his campaign team immediately and vehemently denounced the reporting, insisted it was false, and vowed to file a lawsuit against the online publication on Tuesday morning," wrote Benen. "At least so far, no such litigation has been filed. In fact, on Wednesday morning, the candidate’s tone shifted a bit: Instead of condemning the reporting as defamatory, Walker conceded to Fox News that he’s made 'mistakes' but has been 'redeemed.'" Walker then denied knowing the accuser — but later admitted it was the mother of one of his secret children, a detail the original Daily Beast report about the abortion had kept confidential.

IN OTHER NEWS: Man charged with threatening Amazon delivery driver with a gun for daring to drive through 'racist neighborhood'

"Walker himself seems to be having a tough time keeping his story straight," wrote Benen. After Walker claimed on Hugh Hewitt's show that he didn't do it, but even if he did it wouldn't have been a problem, "He also continued to say he has 'no idea' who is accuser is, which continues to be odd given that there are four women with whom Walker has had children. Hours later, the Republican fielded a few questions from reporters and seemed to denying saying what he’d already said earlier in the day. Walker also tried to blame Democrats for the allegations, which was odd given that the claims are coming from members of his own family."

All of this comes as Christian Walker, his eldest son and a Trump supporter who previously campaigned with him, called his father a liar and accused him of neglecting, abusing, and threatening deadly violence against his family.