Judge Moore: ‘I strongly urge The Washington Post, and everyone involved, to tell the truth’
Neil W. McCabe
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The beleaguered Alabama GOP nominee for Senate issued a statement Friday afternoon in response to Thursday’s article in The Washington Post, which quoted four women describing awkward encounters that took on a sexual nature although there was no intercourse.
“Yesterday, I made a statement that the allegations described in a Washington Post article against me about sexual impropriety were false,” said former Alabama chief justice Roy S. Moore.
“I strongly urge The Washington Post, and everyone involved, to tell the truth,” said Moore, who candidacy has been strongly opposed by Senate Majority Leader A. Mitchell McConnell (R.-Ky.) and members of McConnell’s political family, such as James S. “Josh” Homes II, a founding partner at the Wahington-based consultancy Cavalry. Holmes was the leader’s chief of staff and while working for McConnell devised the Republican’s “Repeal and Replace” messaging as part of its scheme to save Obamacare from actual repeal.
Moore faces Democrat G. Douglas Jones, who former U.S. Attorney under President William J. Clinton in the Dec. 12 special election.
Moore said the previous day took a toll on him and his wife.
“It has been a tough 24 hours because my wife and I were blindsided by an article based on a lie supported by innuendo,” he said. “It seems that in the political arena, to say that something is not true is simply not good enough, so let me be clear.”
The judge said he never acted in the way that the WashPost described–actions that included the claim by a woman, then 14-years-old, that Moore met her privately twice and on the second occasion, stripped her to her underwear as he to stripped to his underwear.
In this encounter, the woman said the then-assistant district attorney guided her hand to touch his underpants and he touched her bra.
Moore gave a blanket denial.
“I have never provided alcohol to minors, and I have never engaged in sexual misconduct,” he said. “As a father of a daughter and a grandfather of five granddaughters, I condemn the actions of any man who engages in sexual misconduct not just against minors but against any woman.”
Victims must be protected, he said.
“I also believe that any person who has been abused should feel the liberty to come forward and seek protection,” he said.
The judge said he is confused by the motives at play in the stories release.
“I know that a lot of people wonder why this story was written,” he said.
“Why would women say these things if they are not true? I can’t fully answer that because as much as I have disagreed vehemently on political issues with many people over the years, I cannot understand the mentality of using such a dangerous lie to try to personally destroy someone,” he said.
Moore said he is a man who respects the law and believes the law is in place to protect the vulnerable.
“As a former Judge and administer of the law, I take the protection of our innocent as one of my most sacred callings. False allegations are gravely serious and will have a profound consequence on those who are truly harassed or molested,” he said.
“That is all we can do, and I trust that the people of Alabama, who know my record after 40 years of public service, will vouch for my character and commitment to the rule of law.”
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