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 the moderator for violating debate rules by using a “prop.”

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.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker is pictured on the left during a campaign event in Gwinnett, Georgia on September 9, 2022, while his Democratic opponent Senator Raphael Warnock is shown on the right during a campaign event in Columbus, Georgia on October 8, 2022. Warnock and Walker faced off in their first televised debate on Friday.
Left: Megan Varner, Right: Megan Varner/Getty Images

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.