U.S. SENATE RACE
district attorney.
“I can tell you without hesitation this is absolutely false,” Moore said, speaking alongside his wife, who expressed support.
“I never did what she said I did. I don’t even know the woman. I don’t know anything about her. I don’t even know where the restaurant is or was,” he said , declining to take any questions.
Moore has said he has no recollection of dating women in their teens when he was in his 30s.
But he faced mounting calls late Monday to quit the tight race with Democrat Doug Jones as Republicans seek to hold on to their slim 5248 majority in the Senate and replace Jeff Sessions, now US attorney general.
The Senate’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, said he believed Moore’s accusers and urged the anti-establishment conservative — who is far to the right of his own party — to “step aside” from the Dec 12 election.
Senator Jeff Flake, a Republican, said he would rather vote for a Democrat than for Moore, and agreed on calls to expel him should he win.
White House officials have also said that if the accusations are true, Moore should step aside.
Under Alabama law, it is too late to have Moore’s name taken off the ballot, but some Republicans have discussed putting forth another candidate voters could write in manually on their ballot.
The No. 2 Senate Republican, John Cornyn, withdrew his endorsement of Moore, calling the accusations “disturbing and, if true, disqualifying”.
But some still expressed support. Alabama Representative Mo Brooks said he backed Moore because his Democratic rival would “vote wrong”.
“There are major issues facing the United States of America,” Brooks was quoted by newspaper Roll Call as saying.
“Doug Jones will vote wrong on each of those issues... Roy Moore will vote right.
“That’s why I’m voting for Roy Moore.” AFP