US Republicans want senate candidate Roy Moore to step aside after he was accused of sex assault on 14-year-old girl
Roy Moore, a former chief judge, was considered a heavy favourite in deeply Republican Alabama in the December 12 special election to fill the seat of US Attorney General Jeff Sessions
US President Donald Trump joined a growing list of top Republicans saying Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore should withdraw from the race if allegations are substantiated that he initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl almost four decades ago.
“Like most Americans, the president believes we cannot allow a mere allegation, in this case one from many years ago, to destroy a person’s life,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“However, the president also believes that if these allegations are true, Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside.”
Trump comments echoed those of at least eight other Republicans, some of whom had been withholding full backing for the controversial former state Supreme Court judge.
Vice-President Mike Pence found the accusations disturbing and if proven true “would disqualify anyone from serving in office,” his spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said.
“If these allegations are true, Roy Moore should step aside for all the obvious reasons,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who backed Moore’s opponent in the Republican primary, said Thursday. He said the allegations are “very disturbing”.