Trump breaks long silence on Alabama Senate race, backs GOP nominee Moore
WASHINGTON — Silent for more than a week, President Donald Trump all but endorsed embattled Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore on Tuesday, discounting the sexual assault allegations against him and insisting repeatedly that voters must not support Mr. Moore’s “liberal” rival.
The president said he would announce next week whether he will campaign for Mr. Moore, who faces Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election to fill the seat once held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Mr. Trump, who won election
despite facing more than a dozen accusations of sexual misconduct himself, dismissed questions from reporters about backing a Republican accused of sexual assault over a man who is a Democrat. Mr. Trump pointed to Mr. Moore’s assertions that he did nothing wrong.
“Roy Moore denies it, that’s all I can say,” Mr. Trump said. In fact, he repeated 10 times in a fiveminute session outside the White House that the GOP candidate has denied any wrongdoing.
Two Alabama women have accused Mr. Moore of assault or molestation — including one who says she was 14 at the time — and six others have said he pursued romantic relationships when they were teenagers and he was a deputy district attorneyin his 30s.
Mr. Trump didn’t explicitly say he was endorsing Mr. Moore, but he said with emphasis, “We don’t need a liberal person in there. ... We don’t need somebody who’s softon crime like Jones.”
He also noted that the allegations came from behavior alleged to have happened decades ago.
“Forty years is a long time,” Mr. Trump said, questioning why it took so long for Mr. Moore’s accusers to come forward.
Former Sen. Sessions has said he has no reason to doubt the allegations against Mr. Moore, Republican leaders in Washington have called for Mr. Moore to leave the race, and the White House repeatedly has said Mr. Trump himself felt Mr. Moore would “do the right thing and step aside” if the allegations proved true.
But Mr. Trump had been publicly silent until Tuesday when he exchanged questions and answers with reporters, shouting to be heard over the noise of his Marine helicopter, waiting to take him to Air Force One, which then flew him to his Mar-aLago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.,for Thanksgiving.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, both Republicans, have called on Mr. Moore to leave the race in light of the accusations. The Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have pulled their supportfor his campaign.
Mr. Trump backed incumbent Sen. Luther Strange in a September Republican primary, but moved quickly to embrace Mr. Moore after he won. A White House official said Tuesday that Mr. Trump’s attack on Mr. Jones did not amount to a formal endorsement of Mr. Moore, only that Mr. Trump was communicating that sending the Democrat to Washington would hamperhis agenda.
Republican leaders briefly explored the possibility of seeking a write-in candidate but have determined those efforts would only increase Mr. Jones’ chances by splitting the GOP vote in the Republican state. Mr. Sessions has resisted pleas to mount a last-minute campaignfor his old seat.
The allegations against Mr. Moore come amid a national reckoning over misdeeds by powerful men in media,business and politics.