Trump has given his support to Herschel Walker, Max Miller, and Sean Parnell. They are currently being investigated for their pasts. None of these difficulties, as recorded in interviews, court papers, and police records, have deterred Trump.
“President Trump is happy to promote patriots who love our country and will put America First, and he will not be deterred from backing excellent candidates because of bogus smear attempts by the Fake News media,” stated Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington.
Trump has already campaigned in Georgia alongside Walker, a former University of Georgia football player accused of threatening many women.
“You know, Herschel is not simply a Georgia hero; he is an American legend,” Trump remarked during a rally alongside Walker in September. “Herschel has been one of America’s finest athletes, and I know he will go down as one of America’s best senators as well.”
Walker spoke candidly about his struggles with mental illness and the violent and unsettling ideas he had in an interview with CNN in 2008. Walker claimed to have been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder.
“You can feel furious, but when you get angry enough to go out and really, truly injure someone, that’s when you know you’ve got a problem,” Walker told CNN at the time.
In a 2008 interview, his ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, also described her violent confrontations with Walker. He allegedly threatened her with both weapons and knives. In one occasion, he threatened to sever her throat with a straight razor.
Grossman told the storey of the first time he put a pistol to her head. “He put the pistol to my temple and threatened to blow my brains out,” she recalled in 2008.
Walker did not dispute the instances at the time, but he stated he couldn’t recall them and mentioned that blackouts are one of his illness’s symptoms.
According to a police report acquired by CNN, another woman, a friend of Grossman’s, informed authorities in the early 2000s that Walker had made “threats to her” and had “her residence observed.”
Walker’s campaign stated that he had sought treatment after reportedly violent occurrences in the early 2000s. Walker also mentioned getting therapy, including visiting a therapist, in the 2008 interview.
“Since receiving assistance, Herschel has committed his life to helping others and has toured hundreds of military locations and non-profits sharing his own experience with troops and other Americans,” said Mallory Blount, a Walker campaign spokesperson. “It is unfortunate that those in politics and the media who commended Herschel for his candour over a decade ago are now making false assertions, stereotyping, criticising, and seeking to sensationalise his background just because he is a Republican Senate candidate.”
Years later, another accusation was levelled against Walker. According to a 2012 police complaint, Myka Dean, who told police she was in a romantic connection with Walker, claimed he threatened to murder her. According to the report, Dean stated that Walker informed her that he was “going to ‘blow his head off’ after killing her.”
Walker’s campaign vigorously refuted the Dean allegations.
“These unfounded charges are being made a decade later merely for political mudslinging, which is reckless and wrong,” Blount, the campaign spokesperson, said.
Dean passed away in 2019. Dean’s mother stated in a statement given by the Walker campaign, “This is the first we’ve heard about it. We are really proud of the guy Herschel Walker has evolved into.”
In an interview with Politico, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell discounted Walker’s abuse accusations.
“Some of the writings imply that he has had some difficulties in his life. The good news is that he’s had multiple strong performances on national television “McConnell stated to Politico. “Every indicator points to him being a solid candidate.”
Trump has a history of welcoming notable persons accused of sexual misconduct against women.
During a special election in Alabama in 2017, Trump backed Roy Moore for Senate, despite many women accusing Moore of abusing or sexually assaulting them when they were adolescents and he was in his 30s. Moore rejected the charges and was defeated in the election.
And Trump has faced his own claims. During his presidential campaign in 2016, more than a dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct. He disputed them all and attempted to portray himself as the victim by relying on their assertions.
“I am the victim of one of the worst political slander campaigns in our country’s history,” Trump declared during a 2016 rally in North Carolina.
“Donald Trump has gravitated toward certain people with actual skeletons and controversies in their pasts,” CNN political analyst S.E. Cupp said, referring to Trump’s previous backing of Moore. “There appears to be a distinct tolerance threshold, both inside the party and among voters, particularly Republican voters. I believe that once they consumed Trump, the climate became conditioned to tolerate anything.”
According to Ruth Glenn, CEO and President of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, America is still failing to treat women fairly and to hold those in positions of authority accountable for their acts toward women.
“I don’t believe we have a degree of understanding about violence against women, what it looks like, what the dynamics are, how it can be sneaky and acceptable within our culture,” Glenn said. “What we hear as the underlying message is that we – survivors, especially women – don’t matter.”
