Former Rep. Joe Walsh from Illinois is planning to sue the Chicago Sun-Times for defamation, after the newspaper printed what he said was an inaccurate portrayal of him as a “deadbeat dad.”
On Monday, a Sun-Times reporter wrote an article about Mr. Walsh, claiming that he’s trying to terminate child-support payments, according to a report in Breitbart. The Sun-Times article referred to him as a “deadbeat dad,” and as a “flame-throwing Tea Party Republican” who was trying to obtain court permission to stop payments on his monthly child support, Breitbart reported.
Mr. Walsh, who just lost his re-election bid, said he is not trying to halt child-support payments, Breitbart continued. He was only trying to modify the child-support agreement, in accordance with law, as based on his now-unemployed status. His chlldren are aged 25, 22 and 18, Breitbart adds.
“This is what the law requires me to do,” Mr. Walsh said, of his move to modify his child-support agreement, according to Breitbart. “I’ve only been out of Congress for a month, and I expect to be employed again very soon.”
In the meantime, Mr. Walsh is vowing a suit against the newspaper.
“This article by the Sun-Times is a deliberate attempt to defame me, and I will sue them immediately,” he said in the Breitbart report.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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