UPDATE - Moore is now claiming he doesn't know this woman at all -- knows nothing about her -- and doesn't even know where the restaurant is. She says he signed her yearbook (and produced it), and that he was at the eatery all the time. I expected him to say that he remembers dining there and recalls occasionally chatting up waitresses, but to adamantly deny the assault charge. Instead, he's denying the entire thing, including having ever been to the restaurant:
In Roy Moore's press statement just now, he said of Beverly Young Nelson:
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) November 13, 2017
"This is absolutely false. I never did what she said I did. I don’t even know the woman. I don’t know anything about her. I don’t even know where the restaurant is or was."
Someone is lying, big time. If more people can place him as a regular at that restaurant, and if handwriting experts confirm that it's his message in her book, he's screwed. And I'm not sure this new emerging allegation helps his case very much -- especially if some of these people start going on the record:
Roy Moore had been banned from a mall in Gadsden, Alabama, because he badgered teen girls, residents of the town, including lawyers and cops, say: https://t.co/2PiK8XzRT8 pic.twitter.com/AUxuoFj0nf
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) November 13, 2017
ORIGINAL POST - As we reported earlier, a new accuser has come forward against Roy Moore; she's leveled the most serious allegations to date against the Alabama Republican Senate nominee. In an emotional statement, Beverly Young says Moore often flirted with her at the restaurant where she worked as a 15- and 16-year-old -- at which he was a regular customer -- even signing her high school year book with an inscription that called her "beautiful." One night, when her boyfriend was late picking her up, Moore offered to drive her home. Rather than doing so, she says, he pulled his car into the rear parking lot and attempted a sexual assault. From her statement:
Beverly Young Nelson alleges Roy Moore “began squeezing my neck attempting to force my head into his crotch.” She was 16. pic.twitter.com/dForLnaVnp
— Alex Silverman (@AlexSilverman) November 13, 2017
After she resisted and screamed, he allegedly threatened her before letting her go, telling her that nobody would believe "a child" over a District Attorney. She says she quit her job the next day (this is a fact that should be checked), and didn't breathe word of the incident for two years, when she finally confided in her sister. Years later, she told a few other people, including her mother and husband. She describes herself as a Trump supporter who only chose to share her ordeal after others had the courage to tell their stories to the Washington Post, which made her realize she was not Moore's only victim. Here is his yearbook note, compared to his current signature. The similarities are striking, particularly the distinctive 'R' and 'M:'
Roy Moore's signature from that 1977 yearbook matches Roy Moore's signature on his US Term Limits pledge this year. pic.twitter.com/4gQz9ytZZX
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) November 13, 2017
The yearbook detail does not prove that he is guilty of the claimed assault, of course, but it appears to corroborate her story -- especially because it is creepily flirtatious in nature. Remember, this was a 30-something man writing to a high school sophomore girl. It also makes it very difficult for Moore to deny knowing her at all, as he's done with the other woman who's alleged sexual molestation, when she was 14. The new accuser is not seeking civil damages (i.e., money) and says she is willing to repeat her allegations under oath. In response to these new developments, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee demanded that Moore drop out of the race, warning that expulsion may await if he stays in and wins:
!! NRSC chairman Gardner on Moore: "If he refuses to withdraw and wins, the Senate should vote to expel him."
— Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) November 13, 2017
Here is video of the full press conference (the alleged victim's account starts around the 8:00 mark and runs for about 12 minutes):
If this woman is acting, she's a gifted performer. I'll repeat that it's impossible to say with certitude who is telling the truth here -- but this woman, like the others, seems credible, regardless of what one thinks of Ms. Allred (and I'm not a fan). There's also a pattern of behavior emerging regarding Moore's romantic interest in high school girls as a grown man, a point he hasn't categorically denied. I'll leave you with this quote, which might suggest that there's even more to come:
Allred is asked if she's been approached by other women about Roy Moore. "No comment."
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 13, 2017
UPDATE - Team Moore's response, which leads with an anti-abortion attack on Allred:
Latest Roy Moore camp statement: "Gloria Allred is a sensationalist leading a witch hunt." #ALSEN pic.twitter.com/5NFLgm2cU5
— Alexis Levinson (@alexis_levinson) November 13, 2017
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