Trump silent as furor grows over Moore

President Donald Trump dodges questions about the Alabama Senate race, declining to join national Republicans who’ve called for Roy Moore to step down.

President Donald Trump dodged questions about the turmoil in the Alabama Senate race on Wednesday, declining to join national Republicans who’ve called for Roy Moore to abandon the race amid allegations of sexual impropriety with teenage girls. Far from surrendering, Moore’s camp challenged the credibility of one of the accusers.

Trump, who withstood allegations of sexual assault weeks before his own election, was uncharacteristically silent when faced with questions about the scandal, which has rattled the party.

Another hope was Sean Hannity, the Fox News Channel host and onetime Moore defender. On his Tuesday evening show, Hannity gave Moore 24 hours to explain “inconsistencies” in his response to allegations of child molestation or else exit the Alabama race.

Moore responded in a letter late Wednesday: “I adamantly deny the allegations of Leigh Corfman and Beverly Nelson, did not date underage girls, and have taken steps to begin a civil action for defamation. Because of that, at the direction of counsel, I cannot comment further.”

Corfman and Nelson have said Moore molested themin the 1970s when one was 14, the other 16 and he was a local deputy district attorney in Gadsden in his 30s. Three other women have said he pursued relationships with them around the same time.

Moore’s campaign chairman and personal attorney tried to under- cut the story of one of the women who has accused Moore of sexually accosting her when she was in high school.

The attorney, Phillip Jauregui, demanded that Nelson “release the yearbook” she contends Moore signed. The lawyer questioned the signature and said it should be submitted for handwriting analysis.

The New York Daily News reported that another Alabama woman — the sixth to come forward — claims that Moore “grabbed” her buttocks while they were in his office over two decades ago.

In an extensive interview with AL.com, Gadsden resident Tina Johnson recounted an incident at Moore’s law office in the fall of 1991. Moore was married at the time, making Johnson the first woman to allege that Moore’s predatory behavior persisted after he met his wife, Kayla.

Johnson, who was then 28, said Moore came up behind her and grabbed her buttocks. “He didn’t pinch it; he grabbed it,” Johnson recalled.

The Washington Post interviewed two other young women, both mall workers, who said they were approached by Moore. One, then a high school senior, went on a date with Moore that ended with “a man kiss.”

According to internal polling conducted by the Senate GOP campaign arm and reviewed by the Associated Press, Moore trails Democrat Jones by 12 points — 39 percent to 51 percent — in the survey conducted on Sunday and Monday. Moore led by 9 points the week before.