Moore: Allegations intended to derail Senate bid
UNITED STATES: A defiant Roy Moore yesterday insisted the allegations of sexual misconduct decades ago were false and voters in Alabama would ‘‘see through this charade.’'
The Republican Senate candidate showed no signs of backing down despite the demand of a growing number of Washington Republicans for him to step aside.
Moore made his first public appearance yesterday since The
Washington Post on Friday published interviews with four women who said Moore had tried to have sexual or romantic relationships with them decades ago - when they were teenagers and Moore was in his 30s and an established attorney.
A wave of national Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, called for Moore to drop out of the race if the allegations are true. Trump, who is in Asia and said he was too busy to keep up with the news about Moore, referred to a prior statement given to reporters that said Trump believes Moore will ‘‘do the right thing ...’' if the allegations are true.
That did not sit well with some Moore supporters.
‘‘I’m really upset at my own party for condemning him so quickly,’' said Tom Byars, who came to hear Moore speak at the Mid-Alabama Republican Club at a library in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, yesterday. ‘‘Even with the president, you know, he had some trouble, too, and he’s turned around and tried to condemn Roy Moore to step down?’'
Moore’s speech in Vestavia Hills yesterday was his first public appearance since the report, although he had also denied the story on Saturday to conservative radio host Sean Hannity. Moore used the occasion to accuse the
of engaging in a ‘‘desperate attempt to stop my political campaign for United States Senate.’'
The staunch GOP audience which included state Supreme Court Justice Glenn Murdock and members of Alabama’s Republican National Committee - gave Moore a standing ovation when he finished speaking.
Moore denied claims in the story that he had provided beer and wine to women too young to buy it themselves, or that he’d had sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl. ‘‘I have not provided alcoholic beverages, beer or anything else, to a minor,’' Moore said. ‘‘I have not been guilty of sexual misconduct with anyone.’'
Moore also said it was ‘‘strange’' that women would wait 40 years to make such accusations shortly before a general election. Moore is running against Democrat Doug Jones to fill the US Senate seat previously held by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
‘‘That’s not a coincidence. It’s an intentional act to stop the campaign,’' Moore said.
But a lawyer for one of the women quoted in the Post report
said the women whom Moore victimised were young teenagers while he was a powerful prosecutor.
‘‘They likely feared that he would publicly persecute them ... precisely as he has done this week,’' Attorney Paula Cobia said.
Jones, speaking at an event yesterday in Tuscaloosa, said Moore needed to do more to address the allegations. ‘‘These are very serious allegations that he needs to significantly try to address,’' Jones said, according to the Tuscaloosa News.
Before Moore’s speech, his opponents gathered outside the library, carrying signs and chanting anti-Moore slogans.
‘‘Please tell the people of America that some of us are so embarrassed,’' said Knowles.
Moore also said there would be new ‘‘revelations’' in connection with the newspaper report that brought allegations of sexual misconduct to light.
‘‘In the next few days there will be revelations about the motivations and the content of this article that will be brought to the public,’' he said.