Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore says ‘dirty politics’ are behind the allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
After speaking Monday night to a friendly crowd in northeast Alabama, Moore lashed out at the allegations as false but would not take questions from reporters.
Moore has been accused of sexually assaulting or molesting two women decades ago, when he was in his 30s and they were teenagers.
At least five others have said he pursued romantic relationships when they were teenagers.
Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore said on Monday night at a campaign rally that ‘dirty politics’ are behind the allegations of sexual misconduct against him
The Republican told his supporters that establishment leaders of both parties oppose him because he is ‘hard to manage’ or they want to stop his religious-themed politics. Moore said he hopes to one day outlaw abortion.
It comes after President Trump made it known Monday he won’t set foot in the state on behalf of Moore, even as he intensified his insistence that voters must never elect his Democratic foe.
In search of safe political ground, Trump is embracing a tried-and-true tactic before the December 12 special election.
Weighing political needs, loyalty to his base supporters and his own struggles against allegations of sexual impropriety, the president is staking out a position that should bring him the least political exposure.
Trump has repeatedly assailed Democratic candidate Doug Jones, has publicly defended Moore against allegations of child molestation and has broken with other GOP leaders calling on Moore to get out of the race.
On the other hand, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday the president has no plans for an in-person appearance on Moore’s behalf and in fact is too busy to ‘do anything between now and Election Day’ for the candidate.
After speaking Monday night to a friendly crowd in northeast Alabama (above), Moore lashed out at the allegations as false but would not take questions from reporters
In addition, the president previously signed off on a decision by the Republican National Committee to cut off support for Moore’s campaign.
Still, Trump had held the door open to personal campaigning for Moore last week, when he all but endorsed the pugnacious conservative’s candidacy while criticizing Jones. But he’s carefully stopping short of that actual endorsement.
For weeks the center state in the Alabama race has been held by accusations that Moore, now 70, sexually molested or initiated sexual contact with two teens, ages 14 and 16 — and tried to date several others — while he was in his 30s.
Moore has denied the allegations of misconduct and has said he never dated ‘underage’ women.
The president is determined not to alienate his core supporters – many of whom continue to defend Moore – at a time when his presidential popularity is lagging and his agenda faces headwinds in Congress.
The outcome in Alabama could be crucial in the ongoing GOP fight for a tax overhaul, since a victory by Democrat Jones would narrow the Republicans’ Senate majority to a mere two seats.
Donald Trump, pictured returning to the White House Sunday evening with first lady Melania Trump, will not campaign for embattled Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore
Trump suggested Democrat Doug Jones would raise ‘taxes to the sky’ if he won the Alabama Senate seat over embattled Republican Roy Moore
He also reminded Americans that he didn’t support Roy Moore in the special election’s GOP primary, instead backing Alabama incumbent Sen. Luther Strange
Trump bashed Jones repeatedly on Twitter over the weekend. ‘The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is WEAK on Crime, WEAK on the Border, Bad for our Military and our great Vets, Bad for our 2nd Amendment, AND WANTS TO RAISES TAXES TO THE SKY,’ Trump wrote from Florida, referring to Democrats’ congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
Moore’s campaign quickly highlighted Trump’s comments on social media and in a fundraising email.
‘President Trump calls them like he sees them. And, he’s got my opponents in D.C. scrambling,’ Moore wrote
Jones, speaking to reporters in Birmingham, shrugged off Trump’s criticisms, saying his vote in the Senate would not be a partisan one. He said Alabama residents are focused on issues such as the economy, education and health care.
‘My record speaks for itself,’ Jones said. ‘I think I am very strong on the issues that the people of Alabama care for.’
Earlier in the month, the Republican National Committee pulled roughly a dozen paid staffers out of Alabama as the allegations of sexual misconduct against Moore piled up.
Republicans involved in that decision said Monday they would be angry if Trump ordered the committee to re-engage, although there was no such discussion underway as of Monday afternoon.