President Trump appears to back Roy Moore: 'We don't need a liberal' in Alabama Senate seat

President Donald Trump has broken his silence about the allegations of sexual assault against Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore. When asked about Moore, Trump was quick to say 'He totally denies it.' USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – President Trump all but endorsed embattled Alabama Republican candidate Roy Moore on Tuesday, saying he doesn't want another Democrat in the U.S. Senate and stressing Moore's denials of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls.

“I can tell you one thing for sure: We don’t need a liberal person in there, a Democrat," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Moore has been accused by several women of sexually assaulting and harassing girls as young as 14 years old when he was in his 30s. Of the allegations, Trump said, "Roy Moore denies it; that's all I can say."

Trump ignored questions about whether he himself believes Moore's denials, but said he will announce next week whether he intends to go to Alabama to campaign personally for the Republican candidate. Moore faces a tight election against Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor.

Jones, Trump said, is "terrible on crime, it’s terrible on the border, it’s terrible on the military."

Trump spoke while en route to the presidential helicopter that will take him to Air Force One to start a Thanksgiving holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.

Trump, who has been accused of improper sexual conduct himself, said he is happy that there is a national discussion about sexual harassment taking place.

"Women are very special," he said. "I think it's a very special time because a lot of things are coming out, and I think that's good for our society."

It is "very, very good for women" and "I'm very happy it's being exposed," he added.

Trump's expression of support for Moore appears to be a change in tone from previous White House statements.

After the sexual harassment charges against Moore arose earlier this month, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders issued a statement saying Trump expected that, if the allegations are true, "Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside."

As recently as last week, even as many Republican congressional leaders have called for Moore to step aside, Sanders said Trump believed that the people of Alabama should decide whether to elect him.

"Look, the president believes these allegations are very troubling and should be taken seriously, and he thinks the people of Alabama should make the decision on who their senator should be," Sanders said.

Sanders also noted last week that Trump supported the Republican National Committee's decision to withdraw resources from the Alabama race.

At the White House on Tuesday, Trump declined to discuss other lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct.

"I don't want to speak for Al Franken," Trump said, referring to the Minnesota Democratic senator who has apologized to a TV host and sportscaster who accused him of kissing and groping her without her consent, before his time in Congress.

Yet Trump last week referred to the former Saturday Night Live writer as "Frankenstein" and tweeted that the evidence against Franken is "really bad." He blasted him for hypocrisy in condemning other acts of sexual harassment. "The Al Frankenstien (sic) picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words," Trump tweeted last week. "Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps?"

Trump's tweets opened the door for the president's critics to revive the many sexual misconduct allegations against him personally. More than a dozen women have accused Trump of groping and kissing then against their will; Trump has denied every allegation.

The White House defended Trump's attack on Franken by saying the allegations against the Democrat were very different from accusations against Trump.

"Specifically, Sen. Franken has admitted wrongdoing and the president hasn’t," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said last Friday. "That's a very clear distinction."

Before leaving for Florida, Trump said he only just heard about allegations against Rep. John Conyers, who acknowledged on Tuesday that his office reached a secret settlement with a former staffer accusing him of sexual harassment. The Michigan Democrat has denied the allegations.

While Trump declined to list specific cases, he did say that Congress should release names of lawmakers who have settled sexual harassment claims.

"I do," Trump said. "I really do."
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