Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore fired back at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Monday for saying he should get out of the race after accusations of sexual misconduct.
"I think he should step aside," McConnell said at a press conference, adding that he believes the accusations are credible.
As Christine reported, many on the right have called for him to step down if the accusations are true, including President Trump, but McConnell is the first to say he “believes the women” in the Washington Post report.
He also said he’s trying to determine if there’s a way to replace him at this point.
“We’re looking at whether or not there is someone who can mount a write-in campaign successfully,” he said, reports the Louisville Courier Journal.
But a defiant Moore didn’t take kindly to the Senate majority leader’s suggestion, responding by saying he’s the one who should “step aside.”
“The person who should step aside is @SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell,” he tweeted. “He has failed conservatives and must be replaced.”
The person who should step aside is @SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell. He has failed conservatives and must be replaced. #DrainTheSwamp
— Judge Roy Moore (@MooreSenate) November 13, 2017
The Washington Post, which Moore threatened to sue, detailed Leigh Corfman’s story about an inappropriate sexual encounter with Moore back in 1979, when he was 32 and she was only 14. The Post also included accusations from three other women, who at the time ranged in age from 16 to 18 and said he made advances on them.
Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch quickly came to McConnell’s defense Monday and even called on Luther Strange, Moore’s opponent in the Republican primary, to replace him.
"I stand with the Majority Leader on this. These are serious and disturbing accusations, and while the decision is now in the hands of the people of Alabama, I believe Luther Strange is an excellent alternative," he said on Twitter.