Silence from Trump as Moore-Alabama storm grows

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump kept resolutely quiet and out of the fight Wednesday as national Republicans called ever more intensely for Roy Moore to abandon his Alabama campaign for the U.S. Senate and party officials debated a list of options that none of them liked.

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 and left Moore’s would-be colleagues threatening to expel him should he win. Republicans had looked to Trump as one of the few remaining hopes for pushing a fellow political rebel from the race.

Moore, meanwhile, offered fighting words in a tweet addressed to the top Senate Republican: “Dear Mitch McConnell, Bring. It. On.”

Chris Hansen, executive director of the national GOP’s Senate campaign committee, fired back, “Bring It On is a movie about cheerleaders.”

In Alabama, Moore’s campaign chairman and personal attorney did address reporters, trying to undercut 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 whether the signature was Moore’s and said it should be submitted for handwriting analysis. Neither the attorney nor the campaign manager addressed the original allegations from Corfman who says that Moore initiated sexual contact with her when she was 14. They did not take questions.

The unusual news conference suggested Moore, a judge twice removed from his post as state Supreme Court chief justice, was digging in, leaving his party with two damaging potential election outcomes.

His victory would saddle GOP senators with a colleague accused of abusing and harassing teenagers, while a loss to Democrat Doug Jones would slice the already narrow GOP Senate majority to 51-49.

Moore faced a fresh sexual allegation Wednesday. Tina Johnson told AL.com that Moore flirted with her during a 1991 meeting in his law office and afterward grabbed her buttock. “He didn’t pinch it. He grabbed it,” she told the Alabama outlet.

Later in the evening, a meeting of Alabama GOP officials ended without a vote on whether the party should pull its support.

Meanwhile, Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity ultimately said Wednesday he couldn’t be the judge of Moore.

It was an odd conclusion to a televised ultimatum. Hannity, whose words carry weight among conservatives because of his large nightly audience, had given Moore 24 hours to explain “inconsistencies” in his response to the allegations.