A billionaire donor gave $535,200 to Herschel Walker for his senate campaign, but it went to his personal company instead: report

Matthew Loh
May 3, 2023

The money went into a business owned by Walker that he never disclosed, The Daily Beast reported, meaning the funds couldn't be used for his campaign. AP Photo/Ben Gray

Herschel Walker put $535,200 from a billionaire donor into his company, per the Daily Beast.
The billionaire, a friend of Walker's, thought the money was going to Walker's senate campaign, per the report.

But the cash instead went to Walker's personal business, HR Talent, The Daily Beast reported.

Herschel Walker, the former NFL running back who ran a failed senate campaign in Georgia, received $535,200 in political contributions that were wired to his personal company, The Daily Beast reported.

Walker received the sum meant for his 2022 senate campaign from his friend, billionaire Dennis Washington, the outlet reported on Wednesday.

Washington wired the money to Walker thinking it was a political contribution, reported The Daily Beast, citing emails between Washington's staff and Walker's campaign.

But the cash was deposited in an account for HR Talent, a firm owned by Walker that was never disclosed in his financial statements, The Daily Beast reported.

In 2014, Walker ran two talent shows in rural Georgia called "Herschel's Raw Talent," The New York Times reported.

Because the $535,200 was sitting in HR Talent, they were legally unusable for Walker's campaign. When Washington's staff learned of this, they contacted Walker asking whether the funds could be sent to a super PAC supporting the then-GOP candidate, The Daily Beast reported.

"We will need your assistance to get the prior contributions made to the HR Talent account in March corrected," Tim McHugh, executive vice president for the Washington Companies, wrote to Walker's campaign in November, according to The Daily Beast.

Walker's Federal Election Commission filings show that he never moved the $535,200 to a super PAC supporting his campaign.

The Daily Beast noted that it's possible Walker could have returned the money to Washington. Insider could not immediately verify if the cash has been sent back to Washington or if it still remains in Walker's account.

After losing his 2022 senate run, Walker ended his campaign with more than $5 million in funds, NBC reported.

Representatives for Walker and Washington did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.