Discerning the Truth in Alabama Senate Election: What Should We Do as Republicans and Christians?

The allegations surrounding Roy Moore has caused many thoughtful Christians and Republicans to ask what should we do? I am a conservative Republican, so I cannot vote for Doug Jones because he supports thinks I fundamentally can’t support. However, as a Christian, If I even suspect the allegations are true about Moore then I would also be unable to put my name next to someone who I even had a question in my mind as to whether they sexually assaulted an 8th grader for obvious reasons. Although I understand why so many in my state are skeptical of the allegations because it was so close to an election. It came from the Washington post, Mitch McConnell and Senate Leadership Fund falsely attacked Moore regarding his non-profit as well as implying he was “soft” on guns. So for those of us who want to elect a conservative republican its hard to find the answer As someone who works hard to communicate well with people, I realize I failed to communicate in a way that was completely gracious and helpful, and I apologize. All of us have different backgrounds and experiences that make us who we are, and therefore, we each respond differently to similar situations. 

As an attorney, I have dealt with victims of sexual assault, and honestly it is hard to stay objective when you have seen people so deeply hurt by these atrocious and evil acts. I have seen girls who suffered harm at the hands of teachers, church officials, and other authority figures who took advantage of their positions to commit unspeakable acts. I cannot express enough how awful it is to have had to look in these girls’ eyes and see the devastation, hurt, and most of all loss caused by selfish, despicable grown men. Young girls who are assaulted lose a piece of themselves, and what has been taken from them they can never get back. My mom is also a counselor who has helped sexually abused women for over 35 years. I realize that makes me biased to believe people who say they have been raped, but we probably all know someone who was victimized and not listened to, and now the men who abused them may have gotten away. 

On the other hand, I have also known people who were falsely accused of crimes they didn’t commit, and have seen how a false allegation can ruin a good man. Even if the case is dismissed, that person is often emotionally and financially destroyed.
In every interaction I have had with Roy Moore he has never been anything but kind, generous, and thoughtful. I freely admit that I have had issues with Roy Moore as an attorney and a conservative not because he took stands, but for how he took them. I am a conservative Republican and supported Mo Brooks in the primary, because he was the 6th most conservative GOP congressman according to the Heritage Foundation. The truth is I don’t know Moore’s heart, and I have been wrong, but I have some concern that he seems insincere. My opponents, however, have rightly pointed out that I do not know, and only God can be the judge. 

I acknowledge that the Washington Post has seemingly ran fake stories for political purposes and the timing of this on first glance looks convenient. Additionally, I do not respect Mitch McConnell for getting involved in the race, and the accusations he made against Roy Moore were indeed false. The allegations that Moore mishandled funds with his non-profit and is soft on guns were blatant lies, and I spent 10 hours on radio defending him. The Senate Leadership Fund said and did things to Moore which were simply unjust and untrue. Finally, I acknowledge that there have been people destroyed by false accusations and admit that two of the accusers seem less credible than the others. 

However, after admitting every bias I have and approaching this with utmost skepticism (not to mention my intense dislike of Mitch McConnell)…. I think its hard not to believe that the victims are credible and these stories really do hold up well to critique. But even if the Moore supporters were right and it’s the most perfect political hit job then its too late for Moore to redeem himself before December 12th . Moore has to step aside and if he is innocent then he could clear his name in time for him to run for another office. But right now perception is already what it is and maintaining the Senate for the GOP is to Important.

I realize it is such an extraordinary step to ask someone to step down, and Moore has been falsely attacked by many in the establishment and others. However, even when I read the accounts in the most skeptical light, they overwhelmingly convince me that Roy Moore is not fit to hold office. Given that Attorney General Sessions, Senator Cruz, Senator Lee, and Senator Shelby – all people who I admire and respect – believe them as well, I can’t see a way around Roy Moore resigning. 
Even if Moore has never done anything since then the crime of assaulting a child is too serious to ignore even if he never did it again. I wasn’t there and I don’t know with perfect understanding what happened and no one will know but God, Moore and the woman who were there. However, the right thing to do here is for Moore to step down for good of party and make sure we get a clean unifying candidate. I know that I can’t vote for any candidate who I suspect sexually assaulted a child and I would rather just elect another GOP candidate. Moore has the power to ensure the GOP wins this race and that the Democrats don’t use him to hurt us in 2018. 

About the Author: Christopher Reid is an attorney out of Birmingham who owns his own general practice law firm, which handles Business, Family, and Probate Law and high-end litigation throughout the state of Alabama. He is a contributor at Newsmax and has held various policy positions, including working for the Alabama Policy Institute and the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C., where he also worked for House Republican Whip Roy Blunt. In law school, he clerked for the Alabama Attorney General Office, and, after graduation, he became Health and Judiciary Policy Analyst for Alabama’s governor. His charitable work includes serving on the board of Sav-A-Life. Chris is a frequent co-host on The Scott Beason Show in Birmingham, writes political and legal commentary for publications including The Hill, The Washington Examiner, and has been quoted in The New Yorker. He regularly provides on-air expertise and political commentary for TV news shows on Fox, NBC, and Newsmax with JD Hayworth. Contact him by E-mail at  reidfirm@gmail.com

Photo used under fair use doctrine: Link is http://religiondispatches.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/moore-690x460.jpg
 

Pelosi & Schumer work to keep Moore in Race! Will Moore Voters listen to AG Sessions or do the bidding Liberal Democrats

It’s been just over a week since the Washington Post broke the story of Roy Moore’s alleged sexual misconduct—and the situation has worsened. Though the news was at first met with some speculation and uncertainty, it is now clear, without a doubt, that Moore should step down from his candidacy. His alleged actions have not only tainted the Republican party, but have irreparably harmed the lives of innocent young women.

          As an Alabama attorney, and a media correspondent, I have thoroughly examined the evidence against Moore and have spoken to people with inside information about the scandal. Though I gave Moore the benefit of the doubt when the story first broke, there is now overwhelming evidence implicating him in sexual misconduct. Moore has gone from controversial to a man so consumed with pride he thinks he is the victim not the woman he allegedly molested, and as Republicans we need to take action to stop him from representing our party, the great state of Alabama, and the nation.

          It’s true that no one can say for sure what happened 40 years ago, but the stories of the women who have come forward are far too terrible to ignore. I’m a die-hard Republican and I want to maintain the party’s majority in the Senate—but there’s no way that I could support a accused child molester when evidence is overwhelming of his guilt. And that’s what Moore is, let’s not beat around the bush. Yesterday on the radio, when I asked many of the callers who had defended Moore very few had even read the accusations. I despise the Washington Post and they have committed libel against conservatives so many times it’s hard to count. I understand why Moore voters don’t trust it and the timing seems political. As a Republican I came to this with skepticism but examined the evidence, spoke with people off the record who could independently confirm what these women had said and the truth was it was far worse and that will come out soon. Also the media is holding more damning evidence and by election day Moore shall not be victorious and the Alabama State Party will have gone on record to support an accused child molester.

          In my law practice, I have been in the position of giving legal counsel to families whose young daughters were raped, assaulted, and molested. These girls suffered harm at the hands of teachers, church officials, and other authority figures who took advantage of their positions to commit unspeakable acts. I cannot express enough how awful it is to have had to look in these girls’ eyes and see the devastation, hurt, and most of all loss caused by selfish, despicable grown men. Young girls who are assaulted lose a piece of themselves, and what has been taken from them they can never get back.

          This is what Moore allegedly did to the victims that he sexually assaulted. He took something from them, and by speaking out these women are doing what they can to take that piece of themselves back. We cannot let this effort go in vain. We must do something to avenge these victims, and take something from Moore in return.

          Moore’s response to the accusations has been shameful. He has done nothing but blame others, and dodge questions. Moore said that he never dated any young girls without their mother’s permission—last time I checked, a mother can’t and wouldn’t give permission to allow her 14-year old child to be molested by a 32-year old man. Though some of the women coming forward were of legal age when Moore had romantic relationships with them, at the very least his behavior is incredibly creepy.

          Morality aside, from a political perspective Moore’s continued candidacy is political suicide, not only for Moore himself, but for the entire Republican party. Even if Moore were completely innocent, he cannot recover in the race. A recent poll shows Moore a full 8 points behind opponent Doug Jones. Though this is near the margin of error, it shows a clear trend—Republican defeat in Alabama, a bright red state.

          I have been Republican for as long as I can remember. I worked at the Heritage Foundation in DC and they are even paying for me to fly up for an alumni reception. I worked for the Alabama Policy Institute, was a Health policy advisor to the Governor, and clerked for the Alabama AG in the family protection unit where we went after men who molested children! So my conservative credentials are beyond question. But the Republican party I believe in supports family values. It’s the party that passed legislation against sex trafficking, not the party that’s on the side of someone who may have violated young girls. How some Republicans can say they care about sexual assault victims but continue to support a man like Moore, I can’t fathom.

          We need to stand up as Republicans, and figure out a solution. We absolutely need a Republican to win the Alabama seat, in order for there to be any successful policy passed through Congress. And if leaders in my state will listen to me, I guarantee we will keep the seat and avoid being branded the party that supports accused child molesters. The governor must delay the special election. I realize she said she wouldn’t but she must change her mind. Gary Palmer from the 6th district of Alabama could step up and easily unit the party and he would beat Doug Jones by 20 points. If Kay Ivey doesn’t move the election she will never lose the primary and go down as the Republican governor who gave Senator Sessions seat to the Democrats.

Finally, as someone who is a Christian, I am so ashamed of the pastors in my state who went out and attacked victims who made allegations of sexual assault. The church is supposed to a place where hurting people can go to be loved not a place where the leaders will call victims liars without even listening to them. I am confident God is just but I hope that those ministers do repent and find forgiveness from the Lord. Please pray for my state and ask that God would reveal the truth quickly and all victims of sexual assault will be exposed and face justice

About the Author: Christopher Reid is an attorney out of Birmingham who owns his own general practice law firm, which handles Business, Family, and Probate Law and high-end litigation throughout the state of Alabama. Reid has held various policy positions, including working for the Alabama Policy Institute and the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C., where he also worked for House Republican Whip Roy Blunt. In law school, he clerked for the Alabama Attorney General Office, and, after graduation, he became Health and Judiciary Policy Analyst for Alabama’s governor. His charitable work includes serving on the board of Sav-A-Life. Chris is a frequent co-host on The Scott Beason Show in Birmingham, writes political and legal commentary for publications including The Hill, The Washington Examiner, and has been quoted in The New Yorker. He regularly provides on-air expertise and political commentary for TV news shows on Fox, NBC, and Newsmax with JD Hayworth. Contact him by E-mail at  reidfirm@gmail.com . Photo used under fair use doctrine here is link https://heavyeditorial.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/gettyimages-2425921-e1502850075776.jpg?quality=65&strip=all&w=782