| | | | 4 thoughts on the Roy Moore allegations | | The impact of the The Washington Post's explosive report that Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore tried to initiate relationships with four girls between the ages of 14 and 18 when he was in his thirties is still being sorted out.
Moore is totally denying the report, insisting it's evidence of the fake news media out to get him. Senate Republicans -- and the White House -- are saying that Moore needs to go if the allegations are true.
"They're very serious allegations, and if true, then yes, there's no path forward," White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said on CNN's "The Situation Room" Thursday. "But I don't think we should begin going down that pathway until we give Roy Moore the chance to defend himself."
We are at the beginning of this story, not the end. But here are four things I think I know already:
1. The onus is now on Moore. The Post's story is incredibly detailed and meticulously reported. They talked to 30 people. They have four women named in the story who all say Moore pursued a sexual relationship with them when they were teenagers. The women didn't reach out to the Post to tell their story. They don't know one another. They all tell very similar stories about how he approached them. To dismiss ALL of that as "fake news" and be done with it is not going to be sufficient -- given the seriousness of the allegations.
2. Senate Republicans are powerless. Virtually every GOP member of the Senate put a statement out following the Post report that said Moore should withdraw from the race if the allegations are true. Those statements will have roughly zero effect on Moore's thinking. Remember that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and lots of other Senate Republicans endorsed appointed Sen. Luther Strange over Moore in the special election primary to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore explicitly ran against that establishment. He owes them no loyalty.
3. Moore staying in the race would be a disaster for Republicans. Moore may well be able to survive these allegations in Alabama, where he is already a known commodity and where simply attacking the Post as a "fake news" outlet might work. But if Moore remains on the GOP ballot -- and if he happens to win the December 12 special election -- it is a total nightmare for national Republicans already dealing with major brand issues and trying to recover from the clean sweep by Democrats in Tuesday's 2017 elections. Every day that Moore remains a candidate, every Senate Republican will have to answer questions about the allegations and whether Moore should bow out.
4. Democrats have a very real chance to win now. There hasn't been all that much polling in the Moore-Jones race to this point, but what we do have suggests it is close. It's possible that Moore survives this story and makes it all the way to December 12. It's far harder for me to believe that this story -- and the coverage it is receiving -- will have no negative impact on Moore. If the race was close before this story, now Jones has a very real chance to win.
-- Chris | | | Check out the new(ish) / weird but cool music video for Harry Styles' song "Kiwi." It includes a food fight + Harry Styles holding a puppy. | | | How can we stop sexual harassment in America?
Join CNN for a Town Hall tonight at 9 ET. | | | SHERIFF JOE WANTS TO KNOW: SHOULD HE RUN? | | Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump in August, wrote a fundraising email asking supporters whether he should run for Senate in Arizona.
"Here is the situation: to really get his stalled reform agenda moving on Capitol Hill, my friend President Donald Trump needs a US Senator he a can trust to actually vote for action on illegal immigration, taxes, the economy and more -- and some are asking me to step forward," wrote Arpaio, who has called himself "America's toughest sheriff." "So I want to ask you -- Should I run for the open US Senate seat in Arizona?" A poll asking readers their thoughts followed the question.
H/T CNN's Adam Levy for pointing the email out. | | CNN's Wade Payson-Denney writes:
Another day, another Republican retirement from Congress. This time it's House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, who represents Virginia's heavily Republican 6th Congressional District. Here's our list of updated congressional retirements:
RETIRING
-Sen. Bob Corker announced via press release on 9/26/17
-Sen. Jeff Flake announced in Senate floor speech 10/24/17
-Rep. Sam Johnson (R, TX-3) announced via press release on 1/6/17
-Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R, KS-2); announced via Facebook post on 1/25/17
-Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R, FL-27); told the Miami Herald on 4/30/17
-Rep. John J Duncan Jr (R, TN-2); told local media on 7/31/17
-Rep. Niki Tsongas (D, MA-3); announced via press release on 8/9/17
-Rep. Dave Reichert (R, WA-9) announced via press release on 9/6/17
-Rep. Charlie Dent (R, PA-15) announced via press release on 9/7/17
-Rep. Dave Trott (R, MI-11) announced via press release on 9/11/17
-Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D, NH-1), announced via statement on 10/6/17
-Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R, TX-5), announced via statement on 10/31/17
-Rep. Lamar Smith (R, TX-21), announced via statement on 11/2/17
-Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R, NJ-2), announced via local media interview on 11/7/17
-Rep. Ted Poe (R, TX-2) announced via Facebook on 11/7/17
-Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R, VA-6) announced via statement on 11/9/17
RESIGNED/RESIGNING
-Rep. Tim Murphy (R, PA-18); left House on 10/21/17 following affair and potential Ethics investigation (**SEAT STILL OPEN, SPECIAL ELECTION MAR. 13, 2018**)
-Rep. Pat Tiberi (R, OH-12); leaving House by 1/31/18 (**SPECIAL ELECTION TBA**)
CNN also has the full list online. | | Hundreds of people -- including Washington, D.C., high school and college students -- gathered on the Hill Thursday to call on lawmakers to pass legislation to help children who are in the United States under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.
The group rallied around a banner that read "Congress We Demand a Clean Dream Act Now!" They chanted "Dream Act now" and "Shame!" The hashtag #DreamActNow trended on Twitter in the United States throughout the day.
The protest comes two months after President Trump announced his administration would wind down DACA, which protects young undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Trump gave Congress a six-month window in which to act to make the program permanent. Some House Republicans on Thursday said they are ready to work to pass new legislation that would assist DACA recipients.
A handful of senators -- including Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker -- showed their support by tweeting images and video. | | From CNN's Daniella Diaz:
"The man who allegedly assaulted GOP Sen. Rand Paul outside his Kentucky residence pleaded not guilty Thursday to misdemeanor assault in the fourth degree at his arraignment in Bowling Green.
"Rene Boucher allegedly tackled Paul, breaking six of his ribs and bruising his lungs. There was no change to the charges and no change in bond. Doug Stafford, a senior adviser to Paul, told CNN on Thursday that Boucher attacked the senator without any prior conversation."
Read more in Daniella's story here and in Maeve Reston, Scott Bronstein and Drew Griffin's story about how the mystery around Sen. Paul's injury deepens. | | | Rolling into Friday. Here's your pre-weekend reminder to tell everyone you know to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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