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Herschel Walker, a Georgia Republican nominee campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat, was exposed after falsely claiming he worked in law enforcement and for the FBI.
According to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the former Republican President Donald Trump-endorsed candidate publicly claimed he has worked for Georgia’s Cobb County Police Department and as an FBI agent.
“I’ve been in criminal justice all my life," he said during a 2017 speech.
\u201cMaddow Blog | Herschel Walker falsely claimed to be in law enforcement, too https://t.co/uL7WvV6Oxz\u201d— Deborah Lago (@Deborah Lago) 1655208232
In 2019, Walker allegedly bragged to soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state about his time spent “at Quantico at the FBI training school. Y’all didn’t know I was an agent?”
Apparently, Walker's alleged past was news to local Georgia law enforcement agencies, and to the FBI, as they had no knowledge or recollection of his claims.
\u201c@NoLieWithBTC I think referring to it as \u201ctraining school\u201d was perhaps the give away. It\u2019s called Quantico, I know this because I was a FBI agent. Also, it\u2019s a crime to impersonate a federal officer\u201d— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen) 1655155662
Walker also spoke at a suicide prevention event for the Army in 2013, saying he packed a loaded gun to hunt down a man over a late car delivery.
The incident later prompted him to seek a mental health specialist who diagnosed Walker with dissociative identity disorder.
\u201c@NoLieWithBTC More problematic, he was diagnosed with disassociative identity disorder. Maybe he actually thinks he was a LEO. That is more scary than thinking he is just lying. Scarier than that is thinking he is running for office where he will be making laws if elected.\u201d— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen) 1655155662
The Journal-Constitution also noted Walker "majored in criminal justice during his time at the University of Georgia," though he did not graduate.
\u201c@kylegriffin1 You need a bachelor\u2019s degree to become an FBI agent, so that rules him out \u2014 but I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll say he has multiple doctorates. The universities are in Canada. You wouldn\u2019t know them.\u201d— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1655215201
Walker also touted himself as an "honorary deputy in Cobb County."
However, the Cobb County Police Department said they had no record of being linked to Walker, and the Cobb sheriff’s office couldn't confirm he was an "honorary deputy."
\u201c@NoLieWithBTC When is Herschel Walker going to form a truthful and coherent sentence?\u201d— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen) 1655155662
Former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan told the newspaper that even if Walker was as he claimed, it would not give him law enforcement authority.
"It’s like a junior ranger badge,” said Morgan.
Morgan added that many Georgia Sheriffs halted doling out such honors amid concerns of citizens using the paperwork to impersonate police officers–which is a crime in Georgia.
The Journal-Constitution referred to Georgia law in an attempt to ascertain whether or not Walker committed a crime by lying about his work in law enforcement in his speeches.
According to the state law:
"A person who falsely holds himself out as a peace officer or other public officer or employee with intent to mislead another into believing that he is actually such officer commits the offense of impersonating an officer and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000.00 or by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than five years, or both.”
\u201c@NoLieWithBTC He cannot be a candidate. This is surreal.\u201d— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen) 1655155662
\u201c@NoLieWithBTC At least he's on brand.\u201d— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen) 1655155662
One connection Walker has had with law enforcement was from an incident in September 2001, during which police responded to a disturbance in the home he shared with his wife at the time in Irving, Texas.
Walker was described as "volatile" and he threatened "having a shootout with police," according to the police report.
\u201c@NoLieWithBTC Is there nothing we can do to stop this man from running? As a Georgian can I & others bring suit that his candidacy & cognitive difficulties denies us of our rights? Or places us in danger? Anything? Any loophole? This is scaring the bejesus outta me\u201d— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen) 1655155662
\u201c@kylegriffin1 In normal times, a candidate would drop out of the race over these revelations.\u201d— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1655215201
The Huffington Post noted Walker has stopped mentioning his claims of being in law enforcement since he started campaigning for a Senate seat, currently held by first-term Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock.