User:On Sober Reflection/Roy Moore sexual assault allegations work page
In November 2017, nine women made allegations of sexual misconduct and child molestation against former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, the Republican nominee in a US Senate election in Alabama scheduled for the following month. Three of the women alleged that he had sexually assaulted them, two at ages 14 and 16 while Moore was in his 30s.[1] Six other women recalled Moore pursuing romantic relationships or engaging in inappropriate or unwanted behavior with them while they were between the ages of 16 and 22. The age of consent in Alabama is 16.
Moore denied the allegations of sexual abuse. He acknowledged on November 10 having known two of the women, but two weeks later stated "I do not know any of these women", and that he "did not date any of these women and have not engaged in any sexual misconduct with anyone."
Prominent Republicans and religious leaders such as John McCain, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and Russell Moore (no relation) called for Moore to drop out of the race after the allegations were reported.[2][3][4][5] President Donald Trump, however, endorsed Moore, and accepted his denials.[6][7] Alabama Republicans largely defended Moore from the allegations.[8][9] The Republican National Committee initially cut ties with Moore after the accusations were made publicly, but later restored funding to Moore's campaign.[7]
Moore lost the election to Doug Jones, the Democratic candidate for the Senate seat.[10] In the year following the allegations, no criminal charges were issued against Moore, and the issue left the public spotlight. One of the accusers, Leigh Corfman, filed a defamation lawsuit against Moore in January 2018 over his statement that her accusation was "false and malicious". Moore filed a defamation suit against Corfman and four others in April 2018.[11] As of June 2019[update], the lawsuits had not yet come to trial.[12]
- ^ Jonathan Martin; Sheryl Gay Stolberg (November 14, 2017). "Roy Moore Is Accused of Sexual Misconduct by a Fifth Woman". The New York Times. p. A1.
- ^ Steve Peoples (November 9, 2017). "Sen. John McCain on Moore allegations: 'He should immediately step aside'". azcentral. Associated Press.
- ^ Nolan D. McCaskill (November 10, 2017). "Romney: 'Unfit' Moore 'should step aside". Politico.
- ^ Sullivan, Sean (November 14, 2017). "Paul Ryan joins GOP calls for Roy Moore to end campaign amid sexual misconduct allegations". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
- ^ Sullivan, Sean; Viebeck, Elise (November 13, 2017). "McConnell calls on Roy Moore to end Senate campaign following accusations of sexual misconduct". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ Jackson, David (December 4, 2017). "Trump endorses Roy Moore for Alabama Senate seat despite sex assault allegations". USA Today.
- ^ a b "Roy Moore Gets Trump Endorsement and R.N.C. Funding for Senate Race". New York Times. December 4, 2017.
{{cite news}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter|authors=(help) - ^ Berenson, Tessa (November 10, 2017). "All the Ways Alabama Republicans Are Defending Roy Moore". Time. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ Astor, Maggie (2017-11-13). "How Senate Republicans Have Reacted to the Roy Moore Allegations". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
- ^ "Jones victorious in stunning Alabama Senate upset". Associated Press. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ "Roy Moore files lawsuit against 3 women alleging 'political conspiracy'". Retrieved 2018-09-17.
- ^ Jackson, Daniel (2019-06-20). "Roy Moore Will Run Again for US Senate After 2017 Loss". Retrieved 2019-06-27.