New accuser claims sexual assault by Moore in 1970s

WASHINGTON » A new accuser said Monday that as a teenager in the 1970s she was sexually assaulted by Roy Moore in a locked car, further rocking the Alabama Republican’s race for an open Senate seat. The allegation came on day when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Moore should quit the contest, and Moore fired back that it was McConnell who should step down.

Before the news conference by Beverly Young Nelson, Moore’s campaign released a statement saying that attorney Gloria Allred — who’s representing Nelson — “is a sensationalist leading a witch hunt.” It said Moore is innocent and “has never had any sexual misconduct with anyone.”

In tears, Nelson said in New York that when she was 16, Moore offered her a ride home. She accused him of touching her breasts and locking the door to keep her inside his car. She said he squeezed her neck while trying to push her head toward his crotch and tried to pull her shirt off.