The communications director for controversial Senate candidate Roy Moore has resigned from his position on the campaign, senior campaign adviser Brett Doster tells CNN.
Doster said Wednesday that John Rogers didn’t have the experience to deal with the level of scrutiny brought on by the national press, and the campaign had to make a change.
He added that Rogers had not been dismissed but that he “didn’t like playing second fiddle on the communications side.”
Rogers decided to leave the campaign last Friday, according to a statement released by the campaign.
“As we all know, campaigns make changes throughout the duration of the campaign, as do those working in the campaign,” the statement said. “John made the decision to leave the campaign last Friday — any representations to the contrary are false — and we wish him well.”
The Washingtonian first reported Rogers’ resignation.
Moore’s campaign has been embattled by scandal as numerous women have come forward and accused the candidate of inappropriate sexual behavior several years ago. Several women have accused Moore of pursuing relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s, and a few others have accused him of sexual assault.
The Republican Party appeared somewhat divided over the issue, with President Donald Trump weighing in on Tuesday.
Trump avoided denouncing Moore’s behavior and would only note that the Alabama Republican had denied the allegations.
“He denies it. Look, he denies it,” Trump said. “If you look at all the things that have happened over the last 48 hours. He totally denies it. He says it didn’t happen.”
Officials at the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee said Wednesday that they are not reversing course on Roy Moore or restoring funding to his campaign.
The committees were reluctant to go on the record or to elaborate, but they said nothing has changed since their decision, two officials told CNN.
Additionally, more than a dozen Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, have called on Moore to drop out of the race.
This story has been updated.