MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The words of prominent Republicans are being used against Alabama’s GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore in a campaign ad, as Moore’s camp on Tuesday continued to go on the offensive against the media and the women accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Six women have accused Moore of pursuing romantic relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was an assistant district attorney in his 30s. Two have accused him of assault or molestation, accusations that he has vehemently denied.
Democratic candidate Doug Jones began airing a new ad that features statements made by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama and Ivanka Trump, daughter of President Donald Trump, responding to allegations of sexual misconduct against Moore.
Sessions said he had no reason to doubt Moore’s accusers. Shelby said he will “absolutely not” vote for Moore. Ivanka Trump said there’s a special place in hell for people who prey on children. The ad began airing Monday night. It’s the first direct assault by the Jones camp against Moore on the allegations.
The ad comes as the president, after initially taking a cautious approach in the race, said Tuesday that the Senate does not need a “liberal person,” a reference to Jones. Moore’s campaign quickly touted Trump’s comments on social media.
Moore’s camp on Tuesday continued an offensive against the media and two of the female accusers.
In a Tuesday news conference, campaign strategist Dean Young and two other longtime associates of the Alabama GOP Senate nominee insisted allegations against Moore are false. Seeking to tap into some conservative voters’ distrust of the media, they called the accusations “fake news” pushed by the “liberal media and Republican establishment.”
They challenged details given by Leigh Corfman who said Moore sexually assaulted her when she was 14 and by Beverly Nelson who said Moore assaulted her when he was a 16-year-old waitress.
The campaign says two former restaurant employees and a former customer don’t remember Nelson working there or Moore eating there and disputed other details of her account such as the placement of the restaurant’s dumpsters. Nelson said Moore offered to drive her home and then assaulted her in a parked car by the dumpsters.
Young said the campaign would not answer reporters’ questions about the matter.
“We believe Judge Moore. We don’t believe these women. Y’all can keep trotting them out if you want to, but we’re not going to talk about that,” Young said, referring to reporters’ efforts to ask questions.
“The battle is here. We are going to fight to the death. We’re going to be standing on the twelfth of December. Judge Roy Moore will be the next senator,” Young said.
Gloria Allred, the attorney representing Nelson, said Nelson is willing to testify before a Senate committee and challenged Moore to do the same. Allred asked if Moore would testify or “hide behind a dumpster and the garbage that your campaign is collecting and distributing on a daily basis.”
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