With Hollywood and Washington alike being peppered with an onslaught of stories centering around allegations of sexual misconduct, the state of Alabama is serving as a central character one of those narratives.
Roy Moore, a Republican candidate for US Senate, has been accused of pursuing sexual relationships with teenagers while he was in his early 30s. On Friday, Moore vehemently denied the charges as detailed in a Washington Post report, including using Twitter to refute the claims.
Despite his claims, many of Moore’s Republican colleagues have dropped their support of his candidacy.
New York’s Lee Zeldin, however, is calling for further information.
“I think as Roy Moore answers those questions, a lot of people can get a better read on and be able to form their own independent judgment,” Zeldin said Friday evening during an interview with CNN’s Kate Bolduan. In a conversation that saw the GOP congressman call the allegations “serious,” he said that if the accusations are true, Moore should not have a place in the Senate.
Bolduan pressed him further about his position on Moore as the story has developed.
“I do want to know what more information you’re looking for. I’m sure you’ve read the story. But it’s four women on the record using their names … their faces are out there,” noted Bolduan, adding that one of the women “also told two of her friends at the time that this had all gone down back then n 1979. What more information is it that you’re looking for?”
Lee’s response was vague, and the Republican congressman failed to take a clear position.
“I never said that it’s not true. I never said that it definitely was. There’s an allegation that took place. So I wouldn’t want to be misunderstood,” he stated.
Bolduan asked Zeldin if he felt Moore ought to be a US senator, a choice her guest insisted was up to Alabama voters. Bolduan followed by asking Zeldin if he’d want to work with “a Senator Moore” were he elected.
“I would not want to serve with a ‘Senator Anyone,’ if they were responsible for what these allegations are that are coming out,” was Zeldin’s reply.
Zeldin was staunch in his position that a 32-year-old man should not date a 16-year-old girl, referring to a woman telling the Post that Moore asked her for dates when she was 16. However, asked by Bolduan why he wouldn’t pull his support of Moore, as other Republicans have, Zeldin would not firmly commit.
“I’ve never backed him,” Zeldin said, adding, “I have never endorsed Roy Moore. So, I don’t even have an endorsement to pull.”
