Embattled Senate candidate Roy Moore, bolstered by the support of top Alabama Republicans, dug in Thursday against calls for him to withdraw from a December special election because of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
The 70-year-old retired judge attempted to shield himself from political fallout by raising fresh revelations of sexual misconduct against Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and by labeling the charges against him a conspiracy hatched by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
“This is an effort by Mitch McConnell and his cronies, to steal this election from the people of Alabama, and they will not stand for it,” Moore said during news conference, flanked by religious leaders from around the country supporting his campaign.
McConnell has urged Moore to exit the race to make way for another Republican to run in his place. The majority leader has said that he believes the judge’s accusers and warned Moore that he faces expulsion from Congress if he wins. On Thursday, McConnell also called for a Senate ethics investigation into Franken, accused by a former model and Los Angeles talk radio host of forcibly kissing and groping her years ago. Franken issued an apology.
But it wasn’t enough for top Democrats, who immediately joined McConnell’s call for an ethics inquiry and announced plans to donate charity money the popular progressive donated to their campaigns over the years.
“As with all credible allegations of sexual harassment or assault, I believe the Ethics Committee should review the matter,” McConnell said in a statement, regarding Franken.
Moore faces Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election to determine a permanent successor to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who resigned from the Senate in January. Moore was expected to win comfortably after defeating the appointed Sen. Luther Strange in a September GOP primary.
But the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court has been roiled by allegations of sexual misconduct that have piled up over several days leveled by seven women who said that Moore, in his 30s, pursued them when they were in their teens. One woman, Leigh Corfman has accused Moore of engaging in sexual activity with her when she was 14, two years under the age of consent.
Moore vehemently denies those and other stories of sexual impropriety that have emerged. He has vowed to stay in the race, even as his poll numbers have plummeted and Republicans in Washington have called for him to drop out and threatened to expel him from the Senate if he wins.
The Republicans empowered to push Moore out, those elected to state office in Alabama and in charge of the state GOP, are resisting pressure from their national colleagues.
Gov. Kay Ivey said Thursday that she wouldn’t participate in any scheme to push the special election to next November when a more suitable nominee might emerge, an option under review by Republicans on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, the Alabama Republican Party issued a statement of support for Moore.
“Judge Moore has vehemently denied the allegations made against him. He deserves to be presumed innocent of the accusations unless proven otherwise,” Alabama GOP Chairwoman Terry Lathan said. “There is a sharp policy contrast between Judge Moore, a conservative Republican who supports President Trump, and a liberal Democrat who will fight and thwart the agenda of our president.”
Moore was removed from the Alabama Supreme Court twice for refusing to honor federal court rulings. The post is an elected position and, after Moore was ejected the first time, he ran for it again and won again.
That, and his penchant for controversy, made it unlikely he would drop his campaign amid what have turned out to be damaging allegations of sexual misconduct, and at least in one case, alleged sexual molestation.
A new Fox News poll showed Jones leading Moore 50 percent to 42 percent in a state that is among the most heavily Republican, and pro-Trump, in the nation. In the polling averages, Jones and Moore were in a statistical dead heat.
But the collective decision of leading Alabama Republicans to stick with Moore appears to have solidified his standing and removed doubt that he would represent his party in next month’s special election. Perry O. Hooper Jr., who ran Trump’s Alabama campaign in 2016, approved of the party’s decision.
“I want to applaud the ALGOP chair lady and the 21 member steering committee for standing firm for our nominee, Roy Moore, and not being intimidated by the Washington swamp,” Hooper said in a text message exchange with the Washington Examiner.
