Rep. Gwen Moore recently wrote a letter to the Senate Sergeant at Arms, expressing her “urgent concern” about the safety of Senate pages if Roy Moore is elected to Congress.
The Wisconsin Democrat addressed allegations against the former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice in the December 8 letter, saying, “I believe my fears are well founded,” and adding that “(i)t would be unconscionable for Congress to not be vigilant and proactive in taking precautions to safeguard these children given the well sourced allegations against Roy Moore.”
The Alabama Republican Senate candidate has been accused of pursuing relationships with teenagers when he was in his 30s. In some cases, the women who have come forward about the relationships have alleged sexual abuse or assault. He has denied all the allegations.
The special election is Tuesday. CNN has reached out to representatives to Roy Moore for comment on Gwen Moore’s letter.
In her letter, Gwen Moore also referenced the incidents surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida. Foley resigned from Congress in 2006 after it was revealed that he sent sexual messages to teenage pages. Foley’s case was among several other cases that led to the House Page Program ending in 2010, though the Senate program continued. A House Ethics Committee investigation of the scandal concluded in December 2006 that House GOP leaders were negligent in not protecting teenage pages from possible improper advances by Foley. But the panel said there were no violations of the House Code of Official Conduct and decided that no one would be reprimanded.
“Unfortunately, this was a contributing factor in the then elimination of the House Page Program,” Gwen Moore wrote. “We need to be vigilant stewards of these children going forward.”
Senate pages have been around since 1829. They transport legislation between buildings on Capitol Hill, and according to the Senate, they “must be high school juniors, at least sixteen years old, and attend school.”
Gwen Moore concluded her letter by asking that the Senate Sergeant at Arms be “proactive in protecting Senate Pages” and requesting more information regarding possible “preventive steps” that are being taken to protect Senate Pages from “predatory conduct of US Senators and Senate staff.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has urged Roy Moore to withdraw from the race. If Moore wins, GOP leaders have said, they expect he will immediately face an investigation by the Senate Ethics committee.
