On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that Roy Moore pursued sexual relationships with teen girls as a 32-year-old prosecutor. An Alabama woman, Leigh Corfman, told the Washington Post that she was sexually assaulted by Moore when she was just 14.
Moore initially called the report “fake news,” but appeared on Sean Hannity’s radio show on Friday with a far less definitive message. Moore denied knowing Corfman, but did not rule out “dating” teens while he was in his 30s. Instead, Moore said that dating teens would have been “out of my customary behavior.” He added that he didn’t “generally” remember pursuing sexual relationships with teens.
One person who does remember is his former colleague in the district attorney’s office, Teresa Jones. She told CNN that “it was common knowledge that Roy dated high school girls.” According to Jones, Moore would “hang out at high school football games and the mall.”
Fmr Dep. DA Theresa Jones, who worked alongside Roy Moore, tells CNN: “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…"
— Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) November 11, 2017
Original tweet by Teresa Jones: "I have no doubt these stories [about Roy Moore] have validity." pic.twitter.com/oPWaeKrS8W
— Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) November 11, 2017
After Moore’s appearance on Hannity, two Republican senators withdrew their endorsement.
Having read the detailed description of the incidents, as well as the response from Judge Moore and his campaign, I can no longer endorse his candidacy for the US Senate.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) November 10, 2017
I am pulling my endorsement and support for Roy Moore for U.S. Senate.
— Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) November 10, 2017
One person who is standing by Moore is Donald Trump. “[W]e cannot allow a mere allegation, in this case one from many years ago, to destroy a person’s life,” Trump said in a statement delivered by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. She added that if the allegations were true, Trump believes “Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside.” Effectively, Trump is saying that Moore himself should be the arbiter of the claims against him.