Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., who lost to Roy Moore in the Republican primary for the Senate, declined to say whether he would run as a write-in candidate after it was reported Moore allegedly pursued sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl in 1979.
“They’ve just come to light, and I’ve just read about them. It’s very, very disturbing, what I’ve read about. And I’ll have more to say about it I’m sure after I learn more,” Strange told reporters Thursday. “I’ll have more to say about it after I learn more about the facts.”
Strange did not answer when asked if he would run as a write-in candidate.
Sen. Luther Strange calls allegations against Roy Moore, who defeated him in a primary runoff, “very, very disturbing,” but declines to say whether he'd run as a write-in candidate if Moore withdrew from the race. pic.twitter.com/yGq7BC3ycW— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 9, 2017
The Washington Post reported the allegations that Moore romantically pursued teenage girls when he was in his 30s. Four women spoke to the Washington Post about the incidents, which occurred when they were between the ages of 14 and 18.
Leigh Corfman recounted one experience she had with Moore in 1979 when she was 14 years old. Moore “took off her shirt and pants, and removed his clothes,” she said.
Moore, an assistant district attorney at the time, then “touched her over her bra and underpants, she says, and guided her hand to touch him over his underwear.”
The other three women said alleged incidents with Moore occurred between 1979 and 1982. One woman, Wendy Miller, said Moore asked her out on dates when she was 16 years old. Another woman, Debbie Wesson Gibson, said the conservative judge took her out on dates when she was 17, and the third, Gloria Thacker Deason, told the Washington Post that Moore took her on dates when she was 18.
The two shared bottles of wine in their dates, Deason said, though the legal drinking age in Alabama at the time was 19.
Moore denied their accounts and accused the women of lying.
“This garbage is the very definition of fake news and intentional defamation,” Moore said in a statement.
Moore defeated Strange in the Republican runoff for former Sen. Jeff Sessions’ Senate seat in September. Sessions vacated the seat when he was tapped to serve as attorney general.
The Republican faces Democrat Doug Jones in the general election Dec. 12.
In the wake of the Washington Post’s revelations, Republicans have begun calling for Moore to step down “if” the allegations are true.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she spoke with Strange about running a write-in campaign for the special election.
