WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump and embattled Senate candidate Roy Moore (all times local):
12:50 p.m.
The executive editor of The Washington Post is dismissing as fake a call from someone claiming to be one of the newspaper’s reporters seeking damaging information on Roy Moore in exchange for money.
Marty Baron says the caller’s reporting methods bear “no relationship to reality.”
An Alabama man says he received a phone message from someone claiming to be a Post reporter willing to pay thousands of dollars for dirt on Senate candidate Moore. The Post broke the story last week of allegations of sexual misconduct by Moore decades ago.
Al Moore told WKRG-TV on Tuesday that the person offered to pay as much as $7,000 to women willing to make damaging remarks about the Republican candidate. Al Moore shared a recording with The Associated Press.
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6:30 a.m.
Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity has given Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore 24 hours to explain “inconsistencies” in his response to allegations of child molestation false or exit the Alabama race.
Hannity called on Moore during his show Tuesday night to “immediately and fully come up with a satisfactory explanation” for “inconsistencies.” Moore has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct years ago.
Keurig announced Saturday it had pulled advertising from “Hannity” after several Twitter users questioned the host’s coverage of the allegations against Moore. The move drew anger from conservatives, some of whom posted videos of themselves smashing Keurig coffee-makers
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3:25 a.m.
President Donald Trump spent five days in Asia largely keeping the Alabama Senate scandal at bay. He won’t be so lucky on U.S. soil.
The president returned to Washington on Tuesday night and walked straight into a party panic over the sexual misconduct accusations dogging GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore. Having pushed publicly and privately for Moore to get out of the race, Republicans believe their last best shot is Trump, who they hope can persuade his fellow political rebel to fall in line.
Trump has given little indication whether he’s interested in playing the role of party heavy. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has echoed other Republican leaders, saying last Friday that Moore should step aside if the allegations are true. But as other Republicans began to call for Moore to quit the race, Trump was notably silent in public.
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