Herschel Walker’s failed U.S. Senate campaign spent more than $1 million over the first three months of this year, including more than $550,000 to charitable groups that involved a hefty contribution to a prominent foundation that honored him with an award last year.
The donations were revealed in federal disclosures over the weekend that showed Walker still had more than $4.3 million in cash after his December runoff defeat to Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
The biggest sum on Walker’s list of recent expenses was a $250,000 contribution to the Horatio Alger Association, which annually gives awards to about a dozen recipients. Walker cited a conflict with the awards ceremony he attended as an excuse for missing a GOP debate in April 2022. This year, the foundation listed Walker and his wife as “eagle flight“ sponsors who gave at least $250,000.
Other charitable contributions include $75,000 for a North Carolina camp for kids with medical conditions, $50,000 to the “Herschel 34 and the Johnson County Class of 1980,” $40,000 to several local Boys and Girls clubs, and $15,000 to a Baptist ministry near Wrightsville that Walker has long supported.
Under federal election law, campaign committees can give gifts to charity, though they can’t be used for purposes that personally benefit the candidate. When asked for comment on Walker’s choice of charities, his former aides didn’t immediately comment.
Along with contributions, the campaign paid Riley Gaines Barker $1,500 for “media consulting and production.” The former NCAA swimmer and conservative activist was a frequent campaign surrogate for Walker and she amplified his promise to ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
Walker also gave $100,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which spent more than $7 million to support his losing bid last year.
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LINDSEY’S LEGAL FEES. Also tucked into recent campaign disclosures was a $350,000 payment from South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s campaign to the Jones Day law firm for legal services. Graham, A Republican, unsuccessfully fought his summons last year to appear before the Fulton County special grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his election defeat.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
KEMP’S ADVICE. Over the weekend, Gov. Brian Kemp delivered his most scathing rebuke yet of Donald Trump — without mentioning the former president by name.
“Not a single swing voter in a single swing state will vote for our nominee if they choose to talk about the 2020 election being stolen,” Kemp said at the Republican National Committee’s meeting in Nashville.
Kemp followed up Sunday by telling CNN’s Jake Tapper that Republicans need to “focus on the future, not look in the rearview mirror.”
But ditching Trump may be harder than it seems, even in a state like Georgia where he’s faced a string of humiliating setbacks. A University of Georgia poll showed that Trump leads the mostly hypothetical GOP field with 51% of the vote.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to enter the race within months, was his closest competitor at 30%. Every other Republican contender lagged in the single digits. Only 7% of respondents were undecided.
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THOMAS RESPONDS. We learned last week that one of the Georgia properties purchased by Texas billionaire Harlan Crow in 2014 is the current Savannah home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ mother.
CNN reports this morning that a source close to Thomas has said the justice will file an amended financial disclosure report to reflect the sale, since the justice was paid as a partial owner of the property.
Credit: Octavio Jones for ProPublica
Credit: Octavio Jones for ProPublica
The source said Thomas has always filled out his forms with the help of aides, and that it was an oversight not to report the real estate transaction. Thomas believed he didn't have to disclose because he lost money on the deal, according to the source. Thomas will review the forms and amend as appropriate, the source said.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
DEFENDING THE LEAKER. The national guardsman accused of posting top secret U.S. military documents, including sensitive information about Russia and the war in Ukraine, has found a prominent defender in U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Although she got his first name wrong in her Twitter post, Greene blamed the criminal charges against Jack Teixeira under the Espionage Act on the fact that he is a white, Christian man.
“Ask yourself who is the real enemy? A young low level national guardsmen? Or the administration that is waging war in Ukraine, a non-NATO nation, against nuclear Russia without war powers?” Greene, R-Rome, wrote.
Former CIA Director John Brennan, who served under President Barack Obama, was among those who criticized Greene. In an interview on MSNBC, he said that she cannot be trusted with access to military secrets as a member of the House Homeland Security Committee.
“From my perspective, I think Marjorie Taylor Greene has demonstrated time and time again that she’s not fit to hold public office with some of her commentary that she has made, even previously,” Brennan said. “And so, therefore, I believe she should not be involved in any type of sensitive, classified information. And she does have some clearances because of her role within the Congress and position on the committee.”
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House and Senate are back from recess with evening votes scheduled.
- The House Judiciary Committee holds a field hearing in New York City this morning focused on crime statistics and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
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Credit: Dave Sanders/The New York Times
Credit: Dave Sanders/The New York Times
HOUSE GOP IN NYC. With their new U.S. House majority, Republicans have ramped up field hearings in various locales to push conservative messages on issues like immigration. Democrats have often boycotted these meetings, saying they are political stunts.
But that won’t be the case this morning when the House Judiciary Committee meets in New York City for a hearing that Republicans say will highlight how “soft-on-crime” policies are affecting public safety. But the main focus will be on District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who recently brought criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, plans to attend. We didn’t immediately hear back if the other Georgia Democrat on the committee, Rep. Lucy McBath-D-Marietta, will be attending in person or virtually.
Expect the Democrats’ pushback to not just focus on Bragg and their accusation that Republicans are doing Trump’s bidding to undermine the criminal case against him. With several recent high-profile mass shootings, there will likely be discussion about what the GOP is and isn’t willing to do to address crime when it comes to gun safety.
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DOMINION DELAYED. A Delaware judge delayed the start of the highly anticipated trial on Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation claims against Fox News, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Georgia’s 2020 elections are expected to be a key part of the trial, since the state uses the Dominion voting machines at the center of the case, Mark Niesse writes. The machines’ manufacturer is suing Fox News for spreading false information about the company in the aftermath of the 2020 elections, including the contest in Georgia.
The trial will now start Tuesday instead of today.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
FARM BILL RENEWAL. Members of Congress are in the early stages of drafting the newest Farm Bill. The measure will provide a five-year framework for federal spending to support farmers, boost Georgia’s ag industry, and help provide food for poor Americans.
Four Georgia lawmakers are directly involved in the discussions as members of either the House or Senate Agriculture committees: U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop, David Scott and Austin Scott.
Austin Scott, the vice chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and the lone GOP lawmaker of the four, echoes fellow conservatives in calling for cuts to the nutrition programs that account for 76% of farm bill spending. Most of that goes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for low-income Americans, informally known as “food stamps.”
The three Democrats say SNAP cuts are a nonstarter. But there are areas where there could be bipartisan agreement, especially on programs that provide direct funding to farmers and producers.
The current Farm Bill expires in September.
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Credit: Courtesy photos
Credit: Courtesy photos
MABLETON RUNOFFS. It’s almost Election Day in Mableton, when the new city’s first mayor and several city council members will be selected by voters in runoff elections.
Although the Tuesday races are technically nonpartisan, the Marietta Daily Journal notes that hasn’t stopped the local Republican and Democratic parties from getting involved.
While neither party has endorsed specific candidates, the Cobb GOP urged voters over the weekend to pick “the most conservative voices.”
And at a forum last month, Cobb Democratic Party chairman Eric Allen said, “Even though the municipal elections are nonpartisan, the butts that occupy those seats have ideological leanings and that is truly where we build the bench as Democrats.”
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. An English bulldog puppy named Boom officially took over as UGA’s newest UGA mascot over the weekend.
So it’s the right day to meet Bear, the rescue mix of UGA’s ace kicker Jack Podlesny. Since being rescued from the Humane Society of Coastal Georgia in 2020, a reliable source tells us Bear has become an avid Jolt reader, sand roller on St. Simons, and squirrel chaser in Athens.
Podlesny is expected to head to the NFL next year, but he and Bear will leave Athens missing them both.
Send us your pups of any political persuasion — and cats on a cat-by-cat basis to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
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