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White House Urges Roy Moore to Concede, as Supporters Gather Evidence of Voter Fraud

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Two days after losing Alabama’s special Senate election, Republican nominee Roy Moore has yet to concede the race to Democrat Doug Jones — even after White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that he should.

“I think the president’s position is pretty clear in his outreach to Doug Jones directly,” Sanders said at Thursday’s briefing with reporters. “He likes Doug Jones and looks forward to meeting him in person. and hopes that he will come and follow through on his commitment to work with the president on some things that they agree on.”

Asked if President Trump believed that Moore should give a concession speech, Sanders said that it “should have already taken place.”

But Moore, who suggested on election night that the race would go to a recount, said in a Wednesday web video that late-counted ballots could change the results of the election . . .

Moore, who lost by 20,715 votes, is not in a position to ask for a recount. Alabama law does not trigger a recount unless the margin between two candidates is less than 0.5 percent; according to the latest count by the Associated Press, the margin between Jones and Moore is 1.5 percent. (Read more from “White House Urges Roy Moore to Concede, as Supporters Look for Evidence of ‘Voter Fraud'” HERE)

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6 Dead-Wrong Alabama Election Takes

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Wednesday morning, following the upset victory of Democrat Doug Jones in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate, political pundits and Twitter election “experts” are professing to know everything about why Republican candidate Roy Moore lost. The election takes are hotter than the sun, and everyone has begun prognosticating what the election results mean for President Trump, Congress, and the country at large as we head into the 2018 midterm elections.

Some takes are insightful. Some inciting. And some are dead wrong. Don’t look for any single person to have a comprehensive understanding of what happened Tuesday night. But guard yourself against some preconceptions that were proven misguided and some election reactions and predictions that are missing the point.

Above all, don’t believe these:

1) A Democrat can’t win in Alabama

This is my mea culpa. Going into last night’s special election, I was supremely confident that the Republican candidate would win in deep red Alabama. I was wrong.

Democrat Jones defeated Roy Moore by more than 20,000 votes in an election that was close but not close enough to trigger a recount. Jones’ victory should remind us all that electoral politics in America is not static. Voters are autonomous, they are not to be taken for granted, and they will respond to the circumstances of the race. Every political campaign needs to earn voter support, and that begins with nominating candidates worthy of that support.

I was guilty of naïve thinking to assume that Roy Moore would win despite the allegations of gross sexual misconduct against him, just because he is a Republican in Alabama. It is likewise naïve to assume that Democrats cannot win elsewhere in red states or that there will never be another Republican politician elected statewide in places like California, for example.

2) McConnell deserves no blame for what happened in Alabama

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is hated in the state of Alabama. His interference in the Republican primary was seen as intrusive and contributed to support for Moore as an alternative to the McConnell-backed Luther Strange. The National Republican Senate Committee’s decision to pull its funding from Roy Moore after the unproven sexual misconduct allegations were made against him doubtlessly aided Doug Jones by depriving Moore of the resources to launch campaign ads. Conservatives will point to Mitch McConnell’s failure to go all in for Moore to explain why a Democrat was just elected in deep-red Alabama.

Yet apologists for Mitch McConnell insist that he had no other choice. Conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg pointed out that the NRSC always backs GOP incumbents, “period.” Absolving McConnell of responsibility in the Alabama election ignores how the NRSC’s decision to wage a scorched-earth smear campaign against Rep. Brooks while leaving Moore alone until the runoff opened a window for Moore to beat Luther Strange without intense scrutiny. Rep. Mo Brooks is a fine conservative. He would have made an excellent senator. But Brooks was defined as an anti-Trump candidate by McConnell-backed attack ads, and his lack of name recognition hurt him when pitted against Washington D.C.’s money.

Excusing McConnell also ignores how he has repeatedly opposed qualified conservative candidates like Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz in Republican primaries in favor of liberal Republicans. To say that McConnell deserves no blame for what happened in Alabama is tone-deaf and will contribute to a status quo that most conservatives recognize is not working.

3) McConnell deserves all the blame for what happened in Alabama

Likewise, assigning sole blame for Roy Moore’s loss to Mitch McConnell is mistaken. Good candidates like Ted Cruz and others mentioned were able to overcome McConnell’s opposition and go on to defeat their Democratic opponents. Bad candidates like Christine O’Donnell or Todd Akin lost their races.

You cannot excuse the candidate when he loses an election. Roy Moore lost. That means he was a bad candidate and he ran a bad campaign. Whether or not the accusations made against Moore are true is irrelevant to his ability to defend himself from them and present the case for electing him to the U.S. Senate.

Moore’s inability to articulate a credible and believable defense when faced with accusations of sexual misconduct show how he could not make the case for his candidacy. That’s on him. Moore’s disappearance from the campaign trail in the final days of the election might have convinced 20,000 Alabamians that he had something to hide if he couldn’t face voters. That mistake is on him, not McConnell.

4) Issues trump character

Roy Moore’s defeat shows that character still matters in politics. If voters don’t trust a candidate, if they think a candidate is immoral, they won’t support him, no matter what his positions on the issues.

Despite his egregious, extreme position on abortion and other progressive issues, Doug Jones was able to beat Moore because he did not have any glaring character flaws. Roy Moore lost because enough Republicans believed he might be a sexual predator, and they stayed home while Democrats were mobilized to score a win against Republicans and stick it to President Trump.

How, then, did a flawed individual like Donald Trump manage to beat Hillary Clinton, if character matters? Simple, really. Hillary Clinton was a terrible, morally depraved candidate who was even more flawed than Trump. Be careful of assuming the 2020 election will be a piece of cake for the president.

5) Everything Trump touches dies

The “Roy Moore lost because of Donald Trump” take is moronic. This election was not a referendum on Donald Trump, who was not only not on the ballot but also endorsed Luther Strange in the primary.

As Steve Deace previously said, “Trump’s base is driving Trump — it’s not Trump driving his base.” Trump’s campaigning in the primary was ineffective, and there is no reason to suggest he had an impact on the general election either way.

Another crucial point: Those who want to blame Trump for Moore’s loss are the same people who have been relentlessly condemning Moore as a child molester and completely unfit for office. The “hot takes” really can’t have it both ways. If Moore’s alleged moral unfitness swayed voters who otherwise would have been all in for Moore, is it likely that Trump’s endorsement made that worse among those voters?

6) Trump could have pushed Roy Moore out of the race

Rich Lowry suggested this. Consider that being removed from the Alabama Supreme Court twice did not stop Roy Moore from running for U.S. Senate. Donald Trump’s endorsement of Luther Strange did not stop Moore from running for Senate. The bombshell Washington Post story alleging that Moore molested a 14-year-old girl did not drive Moore from the race for Senate. The calls from most Senate Republicans for Moore to step aside did not stop him from running for Senate.

Roy Moore was not going to stop running for U.S. Senate unless God Himself told him to, or he lost.

In the end, he lost. Alabama voters weighed the evidence against Moore and voted according to their consciences. That is all anyone could expect them to do. When Doug Jones is up for reelection in 2020, it will be the responsibility of Alabama conservatives to nominate an articulate, principled candidate with integrity to defeat him and reclaim the seat. (For more from the author of “6 Dead-Wrong Alabama Election Takes” please click HERE)

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Moore: Accuser Now Admits to Lying

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Pointing to a TV interview broadcast Friday in which Beverly Young Nelson admitted she annotated the yearbook inscription that she offered as the best evidence of her claim that Senate candidate Roy Moore sexually assaulted her 40 years ago, the Moore campaign told reporters they should conclude Nelson has undermined her credibility and that nothing in her story should be believed . . .

Jauregui noted that Nelson and Allred declared at the time that everything in the yearbook inscription was written by Moore.

“Today, it’s a different story, isn’t it?” he said Friday.

The text in the yearbook states: “To a sweeter more beautiful girl, I could not say Merry Christmas, Christmas, 1977, Love, Roy Moore, D.A., Olde Hickory House.” . . .

Earlier Friday, Moore tweeted, referring to Nelson: “Now she herself admits to lying.” (Read more from “Moore: Accuser Now Admits to Lying” HERE)

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In Alabama Senate Race, Republicans Fear They May Lose Even If Roy Moore Wins

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With less than 24 hours of campaigning still left in Alabama’s scandal-shrouded U.S. Senate campaign — and the outcome far from clear — some Republicans have already conceded defeat . . .

Either voters will elect a Democratic U.S. senator from one of the most deeply conservative states in the country, slicing the GOP’s slender majority to a bare 51 to 49; or the Republican Party will seat Roy Moore, an accused sexual predator with a history of outlandish statements who, if Democrats have their way, will effectively serve as running mate for every Republican seeking office in 2018.

With President Trump forcefully backing Moore, “it gives Democrats the ability to drive a narrative that starts with the president and runs through the United States Senate about what the Republican Party stands for,” said Matt David, a GOP consultant. “That’s defending accused pedophiles and embracing conspiracy theories.”

Still, what should have been a perfunctory campaign — a Democrat has not been elected U.S. senator here in more than two decades — has instead turned into a cliffhanger and made Alabama an unlikely battleground in the growing civil war sundering the GOP under Trump. (Read more from “In Alabama Senate Race, Republicans Fear They May Lose Even If Roy Moore Wins” HERE)

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Days Before Vote, Moore Disappears From Campaign Trail

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Near the end of a press conference for Roy Moore Thursday, a reporter asked a question: Where was Roy Moore?

“He’s campaigning,” said Ben DuPre, a longtime Moore associate and spokesman for the campaign. “He’s campaigning hard.” . . .

In the last few days before the Dec. 12 election for Alabama’s junior U.S. Senate seat, the Republican candidate has all but vanished from the public, continuing a pattern of absence that took hold after allegations of abuse, assault, harassment and misconduct with nine women surfaced against Moore in early November.

“I think it’s extremely odd that for the better part of that campaign, we have seen his spokespeople, his campaign manager and his surrogates,” said Angi Horn Stalnaker, a Republican consultant who has run races against Moore in the past.

Moore has a rally scheduled Monday night in Dale County in the Wiregrass – a region key to his chances – with former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon and U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas. But the Republican candidate has held no public events since a rally in Fairhope on Tuesday, leaving appearances to staff and surrogates. Moore has made fewer than 10 public appearances in the past month. (Read more from “Days Before Vote, Moore Disappears From Campaign Trail” HERE)

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White House Official Leaks Bombshell Statement on Roy Moore

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President Donald Trump will not campaign for Alabama Republican senatorial candidate Roy Moore prior to the Dec. 12 special election, a White House official said on Monday.

The official, who was not authorized to reveal Trump’s plans publicly, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Trump will not campaign on Moore’s behalf, despite his recent public statements regarding the allegations that Moore romantically pursued multiple teenage girls when he was in his 30s and an assistant district attorney in Alabama.

Prior to his departure from the White House on Tuesday to spend Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump said that Moore “totally denies” the accusations, which stemmed from events that purportedly occurred 40 years ago, NPR reported.

Trump also remarked on Moore’s opponent, former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones, saying that “we don’t need a liberal person” in the Senate.

“I can tell you one thing for sure,” Trump said, “we don’t need a liberal person in there, a Democrat.”

Trump added that he has looked at Jones’ record and contended that, “It’s terrible on crime. It’s terrible on the border. It’s terrible on the military.”

The president insisted that “we do not need somebody that’s bad on crime, bad on borders, bad on the military, bad on the Second Amendment.”

In a Sunday tweet, Trump continued to make his case against Jones, claiming that he would be a “Schumer/Pelosi” puppet should he be elected to the U.S. Senate.

Trump’s tweets and remarks have led to speculation that he might campaign on behalf of Moore.

Moore has been accused by two women of making unwanted advancements on them decades ago, when he was in his 30s and they were teenagers.

Multiple other women have come forward claiming that Moore pursued romantic relationships with them while they were in their teens.

Moore has denied all of the allegations and said he is the victim of a “witch hunt,” according to The Washington Post.

Even prior to the allegations against Moore, Jones’ campaign claimed that Moore was “unfit” for office. (For more from the author of “White House Official Leaks Bombshell Statement on Roy Moore” please click HERE)

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Roy Moore Communications Director Resigns

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By Ken Meyer. Roy Moore‘s communications director has resigned as his boss continues to fend off the sexual misconduct allegations hovering over his Alabama senate run.

The Washingtonian has received confirmation that John Rogers is no longer part of Moore’s controversial campaign.

(Read more from “Roy Moore Communications Director Resigns” HERE)

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Spokesman for Senate Candidate Roy Moore Resigns

By Greg Toppo. The communications director for U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore has resigned, Moore’s campaign said Wednesday, as the Alabama Republican combats allegations that he harassed and sexually assaulted girls as young as 14.

The Washingtonian first reported Wednesday that John Rogers, Moore’s spokesman, had left the campaign. The Reuters news agency reported Wednesday that Rogers decided to leave the campaign on Nov. 17, according to a campaign statement.

“As we all know, campaigns make changes throughout the duration of the campaign,” campaign Chairman Bill Armistead said in the statement. “John made the decision to leave the campaign last Friday — any representations to the contrary are false — and we wish him well.” . . .

News of Rogers’ departure came one day after President Trump all but endorsed Moore and defended him against any charges of inappropriate behavior, telling reporters at the White House, “Roy Moore denies it; that’s all I can say.” (Read more from “Spokesman for Senate Candidate Roy Moore Resigns” HERE)

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Trump Backs Roy Moore Amid Accusations

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President Trump spoke for the first time to reporters about the accusations of sexual misconduct against U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, emphasizing that electing “liberal” Democratic opponent Doug Jones would be bad for the nation and that Moore has totally denied the allegations.

The president was asked if he will campaign for Moore ahead of the Dec. 12 special election to fill the Alabama seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“I’ll be letting you know next week,” the president said as he prepared to board Marine One on his way to Air Force One and a trip to his home in South Florida for the Thanksgiving break.

“I can tell you one thing for sure,” Trump said. “We don’t need a liberal person in there, a Democrat, Jones. I’ve looked at his record. It’s terrible on crime. It’s terrible on the border. It’s terrible on the military.”

Trump was asked if a candidate accused of improper sexual contact with a child was better than a Democrat. (Read more from “Trump Backs Roy Moore Amid Accusations” HERE)

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Bad News for the Write-In Campaign Against Roy Moore

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A write-in campaign supported by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Alabama Senate race is not “viable” anymore, a source close to the majority leader’s political operation told The Daily Caller Monday.

McConnell and other establishment Republicans, such as National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Cory Gardner, have called on Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore to drop out of the race due to allegations of sexual misconduct with minors.

“We’re looking at whether or not there’s someone who could mount a write-in campaign successfully,” the Senate majority leader told reporters last week . . .

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that there are currently only two options McConnell world sees transpiring: Moore wins and the Senate expels him, or Democrat Doug Jones wins. Recent public polling has put Jones ahead of Moore in the reliably Republican state of Alabama, and the source told TheDC that he thinks a Jones win is looking “more likely.” (Read more from “Bad News for the Write-In Campaign Against Roy Moore” HERE)

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Roy Moore Never Banned From the Mall, Former Manager Says

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An Alabama woman claimed she was able to get Senate candidate Roy Moore banned from Gadsden Mall, where she worked in the late 1970s. However, the mall manager stated he had no recollection of the ban.

Becky Gray told ABC News on Wednesday evening that she was 22-years-old and working at the Pizitz department store in the Gadsen Mall in 1977, when Moore asked her out multiple occasions.

Gray said that she always turned Moore down, stating that she was in a relationship.

“I mean, you’ve got to understand — when you’re that age, somebody in their 30s might as well have been 40 or 50 — to me anyway,” she said. Moore turned 30 in 1977.

“I went to my manager and talked to him about it and asked him, basically, what could be done,” Gray recalled. “Later on, he…came back through my department and told me that [Moore] had been banned from the mall.”

Gray, a Democrat, also told The Washington Post that her manager related it was “not the first time he had a complaint about him hanging out at the mall.”

The New Yorker ran a story earlier this week citing sources who had heard Moore had been banned from the mall.

However, the Birmingham Fox News affiliate WBRC looked into the reporting from the national outlets and could not confirm that Moore was banned.

The station interviewed Barnes Boyle, who managed the Gadsen Mall from 1981 to 1996. Boyle recounted he had no knowledge of such a ban.

“We did have written reports and things. But to my knowledge, he was not banned from the mall,” Boyle, who claims to be a Moore supporter, told WBRC.

At a press conference in Birmingham on Thursday, Moore continued to state the allegations against him were false.

“The Washington Post is not evidence,” he said.

As previously reported by The Western Journal, a Moore campaign attorney called into question the authenticity of a yearbook inscription that was allegedly written by Moore. The inscription was offered by the accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, as evidence that Moore and her knew each other in the 1970s.

The attorney noted inconsistencies, including the lettering within the inscription — and called on the accuser’s attorney, Gloria Allred, to turn it over.

“We demand that you immediately release the yearbook to a neutral custodian so that our expert and you can send you expert as well, so that our expert can look at it, not a copy on the internet,” he said. “The actual document so we can see the lettering. We can see the ink on the page. We can see the indentations and we can see how old is that ink. Is is 40 years old or is it a week old?” (For more from the author of “Roy Moore Never Banned From the Mall, Former Manager Says” please click HERE)

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