This article originally appeared on my Newsmax column.
Recently, allegations came to light that Roy Moore, the Republican candidate in the Alabama senate race, may have molested a 14-year-old back in the 70s. With his strong social conservative views and controversial record of being kicked off the Alabama Supreme Court twice, Moore is already a candidate surrounded by conflict. This new development could, and might, result in the former State Supreme Court justice having to step down as the Republican Nominee.
The allegations come from Leigh Corfman, who claims that when she was 14 and the Republican candidate was 32, Moore allegedly made sexual advances upon her. In addition to Corfman, three other women told The Washington Post that they had been romantically pursued by Moore when they were between the ages of 16 and 18, however they did not report that Moore forced them into a relationship or sexual conduct.
Though the stories have yet to be confirmed, the Post was thorough in its interviews with Corfman and others, and did comprehensive research before releasing the story, that doesn’t prove that the allegations are true. However, The Post did conduct 30 interviews with people who knew Moore between 1977 and 1982, when the alleged conduct took place. Additionally, none of the women initially contacted the Post — Post journalists reportedly found out about the allegations independently and sought out the potential victims. Though, there is much more vetting that must be done in the coming days before anyone should make a negative assumption about Roy Moore or his accusers.
In a written statement, the Moore campaign denied the allegations. He accused the Democratic party of attempting to defame him and destroy his candidacy. However, Moore has yet to officially give much in specifics at the time of the writing of this article. His campaign responded that if these allegations were true, they would have come to light many years earlier in his prior campaigns. This, however, though a relevant point, doesn’t conclusively prove Moore’s innocence. It is an invalid argument to simply say because no one found out in other political races then it must not have occurred. Though I will say my state is notoriously nasty when it comes to political campaigns.
However, it’s important to remember that reports like this must be confirmed before jumping to conclusions and condemning someone of deplorable acts. Roy Moore has a reputation for being an impulsive speaker but even his most ardent critics don’t describe his personal ethics in a negative manner. The evidence in this case looks serious enough to explore it further but wisdom would dictate that we should let all the facts come out before we destroy a man’s reputation. I have spoken to many high-ranking officials in the GOP in my state and they unanimously stated that if the allegations involving the 14-year-old prove true, then Mr. Moore cannot represent the state of Alabama in the U.S. Senate.
The reports about Moore come at a time when sexual misconduct allegations have been making many headlines, following the recent Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey scandals. Stories like these are horrible, but they shed light on an important historical problem — entitled wealthy men in a position to take advantage of those less powerful and often get away unscathed. If the allegations about Moore are true, it’s fortunate that these women spoke out before Moore won the Senate race. Not only would he then be a national face, but his election would be a disgrace to the Senate, the state of Alabama and the Republican Party.
Time will reveal the truth to all those involved and we will soon know the answers we are looking for… but let’s all just take a step back and not assume Moore’s guilt until further evidence is brought to light in coming days. Scripture teaches in Proverbs 18:17 that, “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.” As someone who is very good at cross examining witnesses, I can attest to this and simply say that we should not cast judgment or Moore nor his accusers until the facts come out. But if the accusations are true then Judge Moore will join Governor Bentley in the ranks of embarrassing and unethical Alabama politicians.