Moore trumpets president's near-endorsement
The GOP Senate nominee in Alabama is parroting Trump's attacks on his Democratic opponent.
By DANIEL STRAUSS 11/22/2017 02:43 PM EST Updated 11/22/2017 05:12 PM EST
Roy Moore's Senate campaign quickly seized on President Donald Trump's apparent support for the embattled Alabama GOP nominee, parroting Trump's attacks on Moore's Democratic rival while trying to put the sexual misconduct allegations that have dominated the race in recent weeks on the back-burner.
But Democrat Doug Jones on Wednesday swung back, posting a web video featuring the names and photos of Moore's then-teenage accusers and asking, "We will make their abuser a U.S. senator?"
Moore got a boost from the president when Trump cast doubt on the accusations by a number of women who said that Moore, when he was in his 30s, sexually assaulted or molested them. Others said Moore also pursued them romantically as teenagers. But Trump, who had long been silent on the accusations, sounded skeptical Tuesday, saying that "40 years is a long time" since the alleged incidents and suggesting that he believed Moore's denials.
Trump's comments offered cover for Republicans who may have been wavering about voting for Moore. The comments also offered the former Alabama Supreme Court justice a prime opening to bash Jones, a former U.S. attorney. In the same set of comments to reporters, the president also knocked Jones as "bad on crime, bad on borders, bad with the military."
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https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/22/roy-moore-trump-support-alabama-258375
