A stark divide has emerged between the White House and Senate Republicans on Roy Moore’s ongoing candidacy for the Alabama Senate. President Donald Trump has not formally endorsed Moore, who’s been accused of sexual assault and pursuing inappropriate relationships with teenage girls while in his 30s. But neither has he called for Moore to withdraw from the race or encouraged any kind of write-in campaign in light of allegations that even Ivanka Trump acknowledges are credible and compelling. (Update: Trump came as close as one possibly could to an endorsement Tuesday afternoon, telling reporters that, “I can tell you one thing for sure: We don’t need a liberal person in there, a Democrat.”)
Trump’s top surrogates have been dropping unmistakable hints about the president’s preference. Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, has vowed to stick by Moore, despite everything. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, after initially raising concerns about sending an accused predator to Washington, on Monday went on the attack against Moore’s opponent, Doug Jones: “Doug Jones in Alabama, folks, don’t be fooled,” Conway said. “He will be a vote against tax cuts. He is weak on crime. Weak on borders. He is strong on raising your taxes. He is terrible for property owners.”
In the same interview, on Fox & Friends, when asked directly whether her comments were meant to be encouraging a vote for Moore, Conway said: “I’m telling you that we want the votes in the Senate to get this tax bill through.”
Addressing the same question from the White House podium on Monday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: “The president wants people in the House and Senate who support his agenda.”
No doubt that the Senate Republicans would also like a senator from Alabama who would support their agenda and vote for tax cuts. But in the wake of the Moore allegations, they also talked about other priorities: such as ethical and moral standards, what is good for the people of Alabama, and what is best for the country. The National Republican Senatorial Committee announced that it would be cutting financial ties with Moore and an internal NRSC poll showing Moore down 12 points to Jones made its way to reporters.
It is worth recalling some of the reasons that the GOP senators cited in their calls for Moore to “step aside”:
Mitch McConnell: “I believe the women . . . I believe he should step aside.”
Roy Blunt: “Alabama voters should have a better choice and Judge Moore should have better answers to these charges.”
Cory Gardner: “If he refuses to withdraw and wins, the Senate should vote to expel him, because he does not meet the ethical and moral requirements of the United States Senate.”
Lindsey Graham: “I believe #RoyMoore would be doing himself, the state, the GOP, and the country a service by stepping aside.”
Susan Collins: “I have now read Mr. Moore’s statement and listened to his radio interview in which he denies the charges. I did not find his denials to be convincing and believe that he should withdraw from the Senate race in Alabama.”
John McCain: “He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of.”
Rob Portman: “I think if what we read is true, and people are on the record so I assume it is, then he should step aside. I think it’d be best for him, best for the state.”
Ben Sasse: “Roy Moore has no place in public life and ought to drop out immediately. Alabamians should start thinking about who they’ll write in but it’s obvious that conservatives deserve better than this.”
Tom Cotton: “Roy Moore faces specific, credible allegations and he hasn’t offered a specific, credible defense. I haven’t supported him, I don’t support him, and I can’t urge Alabama voters to support him.”
Many pundits have pointed out that Trump has no concrete ideology; conservatives tend to view that as a bug, while the president’s die-hard supporters see it as a feature. He’s done little as a candidate or president to demonstrate he has a strong moral sense, either. And while he’s thundered about the allegations leveled at Sen. Al Franken, his White House appears to be rooting for a Republican credibly accused of far more serious offenses. Sad.
