Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations

Roy Moore

In November 2017, at least five women accused Roy Moore, a United States Senate candidate and former judge, of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault and unwanted sexual advances, said to have occurred while the victims were in their teens and Moore was in his thirties. One of the alleged victims was 14 years old at the time. Several other women recalled Moore pursuing romantic relationships, or engaging in inappropriate or unwanted behavior with them while they were in high school; these other alleged victims were between the ages of 16 and 22. The age of consent in Alabama is 16.

Most of the incidents are said to have occurred in the late 1970s, and one involving groping of a 28-year old woman in 1991. In the 1970s, Moore was an assistant district attorney in Alabama. A local police officer stated that she was told to prevent Moore from being around cheerleaders "in their 20s", though she says "the department took no action against Moore because it never received complaints...."

Moore has denied the sexual abuse allegations, which were made by Leigh Corfman (then 14), Beverly Young Nelson (then 16), and Tina Johnson (then 28). Moore acknowledged knowing Debbie Wesson Gibson and Gloria Thacker Deason, but said although he could cannot remember "specific dates" between him and Gibson, "If we did go out on dates then we did." On whether he had dated girls in their late teens when he was a 32-year old, Moore said, "If I did, you know, I'm not going to dispute anything but I don't remember anything like that ... I don't remember ever dating any girl without the permission of her mother."

The revelations came out when he was the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in a special election. At the time of the revelations it was too late to remove Moore's name from the ballot. A week or so before the election, a CBS News poll revealed that "71 percent of Alabama Republicans say the allegations against Roy Moore are false" and of that number, 92 percent believe Democrats are behind the charges while 88 percent believe newspapers and other media are behind it.

Prominent Republicans and religious leaders such as John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Russell Moore called for Moore to drop out of the race after the allegations were reported. Other senators withdrew their endorsements of Moore's Senate candidacy. Days later, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan called for Moore to abandon his campaign. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also announced that he believes the women who made the accusations and that Moore should "step aside". President Donald Trump, however, expressed support for Moore, and accepted Moore’s denials of the alleged conduct. Alabama Republicans have largely defended Moore from the allegations.

Allegations of sexual assault

Leigh Corfman

On November 9, 2017, The Washington Post outlined an account of a woman, Leigh Corfman, who said that Moore initiated a sexual encounter with her in 1979, when she was 14 and he was 32 years old. Corfman said that Moore met her and her mother in the hallway of the county courthouse, where Moore was working as an assistant district attorney, and offered to sit with Corfman while her mother went into a courtroom to testify. Corfman said that during that discussion he asked for her phone number which she gave him, they later went on two dates, for each date he picked her up in his car around the corner from her house and drove her to his house, and on the first date he "told her how pretty she was and kissed her". On a second date, Moore allegedly "took off her shirt and pants and removed his clothes ... touched her over her bra and underpants ... and guided her hand to touch him over his underwear".

The alleged sexual contact between Moore and the 14 year old would be a felony under Alabama law, punishable by up to ten years in prison. In a November 2017 Today Show interview, Corfman said she is proud that telling her story has encouraged others to do the same.

Beverly Young Nelson

Following the initial report in The Washington Post, Beverly Young Nelson, appearing with lawyer Gloria Allred, said she had received unwanted attention from Moore when she was 15 years old, and said that—in December 1977 or January 1978—when she was 16 Moore sexually assaulted her. Nelson accepted a ride from Moore after she finished work because she "trusted him because he was the District Attorney". She said that Moore stopped the car, began groping her and then tried to force her head into his crotch. She said that when she fought him off, he eventually gave up, but told her, "You're just a child, I'm the district attorney; if you tell anyone about this no one will ever believe you."

As evidence of her relationship with Moore, Nelson provided her high school yearbook, which included an entry that read: "To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas. Christmas 1977. Love, Roy Moore, D.A." Moore's attorney requested that the yearbook be turned over to a "handwriting expert." The lawyer said that Moore handled Nelson's divorce as a judge in 1999 and implied that the signature might have been copied or lifted from the divorce documents. However, ThinkProgress and WHNT-TV in Huntsville reported that a different judge handled the initial matters in Nelson's 1999 divorce proceeding. The case was dismissed later that year when Nelson and her husband attempted to reconcile–before any hearings would have been held before Moore. As it turns out, Moore's only contact with the case was to have his assistant, Delbra Adams, stamp his signature on a motion to dismiss the case in August. According to ThinkProgress, there was no reason for Moore or Nelson to cross paths at any time during the case. Nelson's lawyer in the 1999 case told WHNT that his review of his files showed no record of any hearing before Moore. Allred stated that she and Nelson would welcome an independent expert to view the message, so long as it was accompanied by a senate hearing, and she repeated the request for Moore to testify about the incident under oath.

Tina Johnson

Tina Johnson, then 27, said that Moore grabbed her buttocks while she was in his law office to sign documents transferring custody of her son to her mother in 1991. Johnson also said that Moore commented on her looks and it made her feel uncomfortable.

Attempt to plant false report in The Washington Post

Main article: James O'Keefe § Failed attempt to sting The Washington Post (2017)

On November 27, 2017, The Washington Post reported that a woman had approached them with a claim that Moore impregnated her at the age of 15 in 1992, and that she had an abortion afterward. The Post staff were suspicious after their fact-checking found that some of her statements were inconsistent or false. She was later spotted at the New York office of Project Veritas, an organization which targets and attempts to entrap the mainstream news media and left-leaning groups. Also, Post reporters discovered a GoFundMe page on which someone with the same name as the woman stated, "I’ve accepted a job to work in the conservative media movement to combat the lies and deceipt (sic) of the liberal MSM." The Post concluded, and reported, that the woman had been part of an undercover sting operation intended to discredit the paper by getting it to publish a false report.

Allegations of other inappropriate or unwanted behavior

Wendy Miller

A second woman, Wendy Miller, in the same The Washington Post report, outlined an account about Moore approaching her while she was working at Gadsden Mall as Santa's helper at 14 and later at 16 when he asked her out on dates, which her mother prohibited due to his age.

Debbie Wesson Gibson

A third woman, Debbie Wesson Gibson, in the same The Washington Post report, described Moore asking her out after speaking at her high school civics class when she was 17 and Moore was 34. She said they dated for two or three months which included kisses, but did not say that Moore forced her into any sort of relationship or sexual contact.

Gloria Thacker Deason

A fourth woman, Gloria Thacker Deason, spoke of dating 32 year old Moore over several months after meeting him at the Gadsden Mall when she was 18. She said that her dates included bottles of Mateus Rosé wine and tropical cocktails, while the legal drinking age in Alabama at the time was 19. She also stated that the dates were approved by her mother, and included kissing, but did not say that Moore forced her into any sort of relationship or sexual contact.

Kelly Harrison Thorp

Kelly Harrison Thorp claimed Moore approached her asking for a date while she was working at a Red Lobster. She was 17 then and Moore was in his early 30's. Thorp asked if he knew how old she was, and she says that he stated: "I go out with girls your age all the time." Thorp denied his request.

Gena Richardson

Gena Richardson, who is a Republican, stated that Moore started pursuing her when she was a senior in high school, near her 18th birthday. Richardson stated that Moore approached her when she was working in Sears at the Gadsden Mall and asked for her phone number. According to Richardson, after she refused to give Moore her number, Moore called her at her high school and asked her out on a date. Richardson stated that she eventually went on a date with him, and when she started to get out of his car, "he grabbed [her] and pulled [her] in and ... kissed [her]." Richardson said the kiss scared her and described it as "a man kiss — like really deep tongue. Like very forceful tongue. It was a surprise." Richardson's account was corroborated by classmate and Sears co-worker Kayla McLaughlin.

Becky Gray

Becky Gray said she was 22 and working in the local mall when Moore "started coming up to" her, resulting in her repeatedly rejecting his dating offers. She said she "...thought he was 'old'." Gray complained to her store manager after becoming disturbed by Moore's advances.

Allegations by other women

Phyllis Smith, who worked in the local mall, stated that Moore had not approached her personally, but she had seen him talking to other young clerks. She said, "I can remember him walking in and the whole mood would change with us girls ... It would be like we were on guard ... I remember being creeped out." Thus, Smith warned others to "watch out for this guy".

General behavior and alleged ban from mall

A former colleague who worked with Moore at the Etowah County District Attorney's office from 1982 to 1985 stated, "It was common knowledge that Roy dated high school girls, everyone we knew thought it was weird [...] We wondered why someone his age would hang out at high school football games and the mall". At least four current and former residents of Etowah County have corroborated the colleague's story. One said, "These stories have been going around this town for 30 years ... Nobody could believe they hadn't come out yet". Another said, "Him liking and dating young girls was never a secret in Gadsden when we were all in high school ... In our neighborhoods up by Noccalula Falls we heard it all the time. Even people at the courthouse know it was a well-known secret ... It's just sad how these girls [who accused Moore] are getting hammered and called liars, especially Leigh [Corfman]."

On November 13, The New Yorker quoted multiple local former police officers and mall employees who had heard that Roy Moore had been banned from the Gadsden Mall in the early 1980s for attempting to pick up teenage girls. An Alabama woman said that Moore was banned from the mall in the late 1970s after she reported to her manager that he was sexually harassing her. Local news channel WBRC interviewed Barnes Boyle, a manager of the mall from 1981 to 1998, who said that, to his knowledge, Moore was not banned. The Moore campaign has now produced two other witnesses, a longtime mall employee and the Operations Manager overseeing mall security, both of whom state that he was never banned from the mall.

Faye Gray, a retired detective, who is a 37 year veteran of the Gadsden police force, stated that in the 1980s she was told to look out for Roy Moore due to his known harassment of cheerleaders at local school athletic events. The detective said that she also had heard that Moore had been banned from the Gadsden Mall and also said that both in the police department and at the Gadsden courthouse there were frequent mentions of Moore liking young girls. She said "I didn’t realize until sometime later that when they said he liked young girls, I just thought he liked young ladies, you know, maybe in their 20s. I had no idea, or we had no idea, that we were talking about 14-year-olds."

Reactions

Moore and his campaign

The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission leader Russell Moore called on Christians to oppose Roy Moore's election.

On November 10, Moore responded to the initial allegations by Corfman, Miller, Gibson and Deason in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News Radio. Moore called these initial allegations "completely false, false and misleading", adding on, "I have a special concern for protection of young ladies", and also, "You understand this is 40 years ago, and after my return from the military, I dated a lot of young ladies."

When Hannity asked about Corfman, Moore said, "I never talked to her, never had any contact with her ... Allegations of sexual misconduct with her are completely false. I believe they are politically motivated ... I've never known this woman [Corfman] or anything with regard to the other girls." In that same interview, Moore then addressed Gibson, "I do not remember speaking to a civics class [that Gibson was in] ... I can't recall the specific dates [between him and Gibson] because that's been 40 years but I remember her as a good girl ... I knew her as a friend. If we did go out on dates then we did. But I do not remember that." Regarding Deason, Moore said, "As I recall, she was 19 or older ... I never provided alcohol, beer or intoxicating liquor to a minor ... I seem to remember her as a good girl."

When Hannity asked if Moore at aged 32 had dated girls in their late teens, Moore answered, "Not generally, no. If I did, you know, I'm not going to dispute anything but I don't remember anything like that ... I don't remember ever dating any girl without the permission of her mother." Instead, Moore attributed the allegations to "Democrat and maybe even the established Republican efforts to undermine" his Senate campaign.

After a new accusation by Nelson was issued, Moore said that it was "absolutely false ... I never did what she said I did. I don't even know the woman. I don't know anything about her."

Moore's campaign has issued a statement: "If you are a liberal and hate Judge Moore, apparently he groped you ... If you are a conservative and love Judge Moore, you know these allegations are a political farce." Moore's campaign has also attacked the credibility of Moore's accusers, while refusing to answer questions.

On November 15, Moore posted an open letter to Sean Hannity in which he wrote, "I adamantly deny the allegations of Leigh Corfman and Beverly Nelson, did not date underage girls, and have taken steps to begin a civil action for defamation." He also emphasized how long ago the alleged incidents occurred and expressed his belief that the Nelson yearbook had been tampered with.

On November 27, Moore conducted his first public campaigning since the allegations arose. Regarding the allegations, Moore declared, "This is simply dirty politics. It's a sign of the immorality of our times".

Republican politicians and groups

U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan was among the Republican leaders who called for Moore to abandon his campaign.

Several Republican leaders said that Moore should step aside if the allegations were true. Prominent Republicans such as John McCain and Mitt Romney called for Moore to drop out of the race after the allegations were reported. Republican U.S. Senators Mike Lee, Steve Daines, Bill Cassidy, and Ted Cruz withdrew their endorsements of Moore's Senate candidacy and National Republican Senatorial Committee chair and Colorado senator Cory Gardner suggested that, due to the allegations, Moore should be expelled from the Senate if he wins the election. The National Republican Senatorial Committee ended its joint fundraising arrangement with Moore, although the Republican National Committee continued its arrangement with him. Days later, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he believes the women who made the accusations and that Moore should "step aside". Speaker of the House Paul Ryan also called for Moore to abandon his campaign.

The White House said that President Donald Trump "believes that these allegations are very troubling" and that Moore should drop out of the race if they are true. Later on November 21, however, Trump defended Moore, saying, "He totally denies it ... He says it didn't happen. You have to listen to him also." Trump also criticized Moore's opponent in the Senate race, Doug Jones, and commented, "We don't need a liberal person in [the Senate], a Democrat, Jones". White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "The president wants people in the House and Senate who support his agenda." On November 26, Trump continued his attacks on Jones via Twitter ("Jones would be a disaster!"), while also declaring, "Can't let [Democrats] Schumer/Pelosi win this race."

Trump aide Kellyanne Conway, when asked about Moore, alluded that it was more important to vote for Moore even if he were guilty of the alleged sexual offences, stating "I'm telling you we want the votes in the Senate to get this tax bill through." Alabama Republicans have largely defended Moore from these accusations. No significant Republican organization in the state dropped their support for Moore, except the Young Republican Federation of Alabama.

Alabama state Auditor Jim Zeigler defended Moore's alleged sex crime actions on biblical grounds, and Alabama State representative Ed Henry went so far as advocating the prosecution of Moore’s accusers criminally.

Marion County Republican chair David Hall said that the accusations were irrelevant, presumably because the alleged crimes happened "40 years ago". Bibb County Republican chair Jerry Pow said that he would support Roy Moore even if he committed a sex crime because he "wouldn't want to vote for Doug" Jones, the Democratic candidate. Convington County Republican party chairman William Blocker stated that he would still vote for Moore even if he had committed a sex crime. However, the chair in Geneva County, Riley Seibenhener said he would not support Moore if the allegations were true.

At the time of the revelations it was too late to remove Moore's name from the ballot. National Republican Party leaders considered various measures to try to oust Moore from the race in favor of another Republican candidate. One proposal was to ask Governor Kay Ivey to delay the special election until 2018. Ivey said that she had no plans to change the election date. Ivey has also said she plans to vote for Moore because "we need to have a Republican in the United States Senate", even though she said she had "no reason to disbelieve any of" the allegations against Moore.

Some Republicans including senators Lisa Murkowski and Orrin Hatch floated the prospect of a write-in campaign to elect Luther Strange. However, Strange said it was "highly unlikely" that he would run a write-in campaign. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who formerly held the Senate seat, as a write-in candidate. If Sessions sought his old Senate seat, the post of U.S. Attorney General would become vacant.

Democratic politicians and groups

Following the reports, Moore's opponent, Democratic nominee Doug Jones, issued a statement saying, "Roy Moore needs to answer these serious charges." In a later statement made as another woman came forward, Jones said: "We applaud the courage of these women. Roy Moore will be held accountable by the people of Alabama for his actions." Jones' campaign ran television and radio ads featuring Republicans who oppose Moore and support Jones; in one ad, a man states "I'm a Republican, but Roy Moore — no way."

Religious community and leaders

Following the reports of sexual misconduct, evangelical leader Franklin Graham defended Moore and attacked his critics, asserting that they were "guilty of doing much worse than what he has been accused of supposedly doing," a remark which prompted criticism of Graham. Alabama pastor Flip Benham defended Moore by saying that when Moore had returned from military service, many eligible women were already married, so Moore "looked" romantically for the "purity of a young woman". Many evangelical Christians continued to back Moore, citing his anti-abortion and anti-same-sex marriage positions. A survey of evangelical likely voters in Alabama conducted in the immediate aftermath of the reports found that 37% of evangelicals surveyed said the allegations make them more likely to vote for Moore and 34% said the allegations make no difference; only 28% saying the allegations made them less likely to vote for Moore.

By contrast, other faith leaders criticized Moore. The Rev. William Barber II said that Moore's Christian rhetoric has "unbearable hypocrisy" and criticized religious leaders who maintained their support for him, writing: "This is not Christianity. Rather, it is an extreme Republican religionism that stands by party and regressive policy no matter what. It's not the gospel of Christ, but a gospel of greed. It is the religion of racism and lies, not the religion of redemption and love." A group of 300 American faith leaders issued a statement saying: "As a person of faith, I wholeheartedly believe the courageous women who have shared their stories of being sexually preyed upon and assaulted by Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore as teenage girls. These profound moral failings and crimes render Judge Moore unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate." A separate letter was signed by 59 Christian ministers, mostly from mainline Protestant denominations, who wrote that "Even before the recent allegations of sexual abuse, Roy Moore demonstrated that he was not fit for office." William S. Brewbaker III, an evangelical Christian and professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, wrote that support for Moore was indicative of "the sorry state of evangelical Christianity." Based on Christian beliefs, Brewbaker concluded that it was "wrong to attack one's critics, as Mr. Moore did recently on Twitter, as 'the forces of evil' and attribute their questions about serious allegations to 'a spiritual battle'".