Raphael Warnock Says Unlike Herschel Walker He 'Never Pretended' To Be Cop

Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock accused his Republican rival Herschel Walker of having "pretended to be a police officer" during a wild moment at their first debate in Georgia.

Walker said that Warnock's rhetoric regarding police had harmed law enforcement, alleging that he had called officers "names" during the event in Savannah on Friday night. The incumbent senator fired back by insisting that his opponent had a "problem with the truth," defending his position on police and pointing out Walker's history of falsely suggesting that he had served in law enforcement.

"We will see time and time again tonight, as we've already seen, that my opponent has a problem with the truth," said Warnock. "You can support police officers... while at the same time holding police officers, like all professions, accountable.

"One thing I have not done I've never pretended to be a police officer," he continued. "And I've never threatened a shootout with the police."

Walker then responded by arguing that he was a police officer, flashing what appeared to be an honorary police badge before being admonished by moderator Tina Tyus-Shaw for violating debate rules by using a "prop."

Social media quickly reacted to Walker flashing the badge and his subsequent engagement with Tyus-Shaw, with many expressing astonishment.

"Did Herschel just show a fake police badge during the debate?" tweeted political consultant and The Bulwark writer Tim Miller. "Did he run that by the professionals?"

"Walker shows his cereal box police badge to prove he's a cop (?) and gets scolded by the moderator for 'bringing props' into the debate," comedian Francesca Fiorentini tweeted. "You know he also has a football and a sombrero and mustache for questions on immigration."

"Herschel Walker was worried that there was insufficient evidence he is impersonating the police... so he brought a fake badge to a Senate debate," tweeted author Grant Stern.

Newsweek reached out to the Walker campaign for comment and additional information on the badge that he showed during the debate.

After Walker faced pushback and mockery for claiming to have been a police officer earlier this year, the former NFL star shared a photo of what appeared to be an honorary "special deputy sheriff" card from Georgia's Cobb County Sheriff's Department.

A spokesperson for the department told the Cobb County Courier that the distinction is for "a community liaison and partner" who does not have "arresting powers," unlike a real deputy, when former NBC star Dominique Wilkins received the same honor last year.

In 2019, Walker also falsely claimed to have been an FBI agent. Although he never was an agent, he did participate in a week-long training session at the FBI's school in Quantico, Virginia.

Despite a series of recent scandals for Walker including accusations that he paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion, the Georgia Senate race remains close.

An average of polls compiled by RealClearPolitics showed Warnock with a 3.3 percent advantage over Walker on Friday night, prior to the debate taking place.