Joe Walsh Accuses Ex-Wife Of Lying About Back Child Support

Tea Party-affiliated U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) has already described claims of his owing more than $115,000 in back child support payments as "wildly and off-the-charts inaccurate," but in a court filing submitted Tuesday, the freshman congressman accused his ex-wife Laura Walsh of lying about their arrangement.

Walsh said that his ex-wife's claims are a "misguided attempt" to exploit his position as a member of Congress, according to the Daily Herald. He claims that he paid her more than was required from November 2005 to June 2007, and that, though he did not pay up between March 2008 and December 2010, he and his ex-wife had a "verbal understanding" that they would divide the children's expenses without resorting to child support payments.

Walsh has asked the judge to deny his ex-wife's request for his current child support payments to be increased, in addition to suspending his driver's license and freezing his bank accounts until he catches up on the payments she says he owes.

The congressman also described the timing of his ex-wife's filing -- Dec. 6, a matter of weeks after the 2008 election -- as somewhat suspicious, a suggestion that Laura Walsh's attorney, Jack Coladarci, told the Daily Herald was "a very funny thing to say."

"What does the congressman think we should have done? Not filed because he was a congressman?" Coladarci added.

Last month, Cook County Circuit Judge Raul Vega told the Tea Party favorite that he needed to prove that he made the child support payments in question.

A withholding order currently deducts $2,134 each month from Walsh's income as a member of Congress -- a $174,000 annual salary -- which goes toward his back child support obligations.

Largely thanks to the child support issue, Walsh was named as one of Congress's thirteen "most corrupt" members in a Citizens For Responsibility And Ethics In Washington (CREW) report in September. In her December filing, his ex-wife claimed that Walsh said he could not afford to make the payments for their three children while, at the same time, he loaned his own campaign $35,000 and took vacations abroad.

Comments

[Joel Frese]

12:32 AM on 10/24/2011

Alright, now here is a REALLY DUMB BETCH. She is trying to slander her husband who is a politician and if she succeeds, it's going to ruin his career and then she is not going to get her child extortion payments. He picked a real winner.

[Schalaine]

08:51 PM on 10/26/2011

WHAT? I am taking deep breaths in order to calm down...You sorry mofo! The deep breathing did not work!

[John Di Saia]

06:08 PM on 10/19/2011

If his salary was garnished, that is a bad sign right there.

[msanonymous222]

06:07 PM on 10/17/2011

Is it wrong to be so gleeful about his next court appearance before Judge Vega? LOL His Honor does NOT suffer fools gladly...and Joe and his attorney's spins on this have been about as foolish as they come!

[mariclau]

08:15 PM on 10/16/2011

[paid trawler]

03:30 PM on 10/16/2011

imagine how much more this de@dbeat owes now with interest and penalties added!

[anitaportrichey]

11:13 PM on 10/14/2011

" In her December filing, his ex-wife claimed that Walsh said he could not afford to make the payments for their three children while, at the same time, he loaned his own campaign $35,000 and took vacations abroad."

If Mr Walsh can not provide proof of his child support payments then we have no reason not to believe the mother of his children!

Obama 2012!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[lpcrsotp]

09:45 PM on 10/14/2011

His wife must be lying as it would be hard for anyone to believe that a politician would lie.

[lpcrsotp]

09:47 PM on 10/14/2011

or refuse to pay child support - - shades of Newtered Gingrich

[drwtsn]

08:38 PM on 10/14/2011

"Honestly, I thought those court-ordered child support payments that the judge told me I had to make were just a suggestion. I didn't know they were legally binding. How am I supposed to know anything about the law?"

[souix55]

12:57 PM on 10/14/2011

Well pull out all of those check and the written agreement and show us, then we can move on to something more pressing.

[frederick10]

12:43 PM on 10/14/2011

I would hope that the people of Illinois replaces him in 2012, I know they will !!

[Cambridge9]

11:27 AM on 10/14/2011

Isn't Walsh just great at passing the buck? He insists that he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, is NEVER WRONG and everything is someone else's fault! Hypocrite!

[rpbrpbrpb1]

10:15 PM on 10/22/2011

he is also a sociopath

[NOV42008]

10:54 AM on 10/14/2011

Why didn't he use the Newt Gingich excuse, sorry his patriot reason, "Judge I was soo involved in the condition of the country, that my goal was to stop Obama from spreading the wealth, because I love the people I represent soo much more, that I forgot to take care of the needs of my children and future grandchildren".

[divorcedance]

09:55 AM on 10/14/2011

You are in the political arena, you have had an acrimonious divorce from your wife...and you rely on an "informal agreement" to stop the child support payments...come on!

[mamala4]

08:44 AM on 10/14/2011

Being a responsible parent isn't a political choice or orientation. If you can't handle the responsibility of being a parent though, you probably don't have what it takes to be effective at taking care of your citizen's needs. This is all aside from the fact that he's attempting to circumvent the law of a court operating under the laws he supposedly defends. Ironic and pathetic.

[bkisses]

08:12 AM on 10/14/2011

why isnt this man locked up for not paying that much child support ..if it was a poor man he would be locked up in jail.. people who dont pay child support need to be locked up and then released on a work program until they pay all of their back child support.