Expert 'skeptical' of ongoing Herschel Walker probe 'unless they’re digging for more': report
Editor's note: This story was updated for clarity.
The investigation into former Georgia Senate GOP candidate Herschel Walker's residency remains open over six months later, although "residency issues are usually resolved quickly—one way or the other," The Daily Beast reports.
Georgia State University College of Law election law expert Anthony Michael Kreis told The Daily Beast he was "surprised" the investigation has not yet ended, saying, "Residency questions are typically really easy ones, and while this was politically sketchy, I always thought it was a non-issue as a legal matter, so I'm surprised that it would take this long to close the investigation."
However, he said, "Perhaps, and I think most likely, it's because the secretary of state's office in particular, and Fulton County more generally, have been inundated with work related to the 2020 election, before noting, "That can cut both ways, though. Why wouldn't you just close it out and just get it off your desk?"
The Daily Beast reports:
Questions about Walker's residency shadowed his campaign from the start. But those questions re-emerged in late November, a few weeks after he forced a runoff election against incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). That’s when CNN reported that the former NFL star took a homestead tax exemption in both 2021 and 2022 for his home in Texas—a break only available for a 'principal residence,' according to the state comptroller. The exemption saved him about $1,500 last year, according to CNN.
Furthermore, the election law specialist said "I was always skeptical of the idea that Herschel did anything unlawful in terms of the residency issue," but "other legal questions might arise from the complaint," he said, according to The Daily Beast.
Kreis added, "He didn't know why the secretary of state would keep the file open 'unless they're digging more, waiting on information, or possibly sharing information with another agency."
Kreis noted, "The only other thing I can think of is that the secretary of state investigators pulled on one string and maybe unraveled something else, and given how sloppy his campaign was I wouldn't be shocked that in the process of a routine investigation they found something else or were asked to find something else, or are possibly cooperating with the Department of Justice—that would be the more nefarious speculative angle on it."
READ MORE: 'Major campaign finance complaint' filed against Herschel Walker: report
Additionally, Kreis said, "The Walker campaign had its share of problems, and observed that campaign finance issues—revealed in recent Daily Beast reports—could have triggered federal involvement."
READ MORE: Herschel Walker’s campaign receives notice flagging 'apparent violations' including 'recount' fund
The Daily Beast's full report is available at this link (subscription required).
