On Wednesday, Ivanka Trump opened up about her life inside the swamp and the upcoming tax bill, but when asked about Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, the first daughter definitely didn’t pull her punches.
Trump was in meetings trying to work on the child tax credit that she's passionate about when the scandal about Roy Moore broke and quickly consumed the Washington media. When reporters shouted questions at her, she rushed through the hallway, at one point saying "guys, I've been here all day." But in her Associated Press interview, she was uncommonly blunt, saying:
"There's a special place in Hell for people who prey on children. I've yet to see a valid explanation and I have no reason to doubt the victims' accounts."
She stopped short of calling on Moore to drop out of the race.
Moore, who is running for the seat left empty by Jeff Sessions, was the easy favorite in the December 12 election against Democrat Doug Jones — then The Washington Post published a story detailing allegations that Moore had encounters with a 14-year-old girl when he was 32 years old. The outlet said their piece was based on interviews with more than 30 people who knew Moore during the time that he was an assistant district attorney in Alabama. That bombshell was followed by an article from The New Yorker that claimed the Senate hopeful was banned from a local mall because he was known to hang around and pick up teenagers. One accuser even showed her high school yearbook signed by the candidate.
The allegations against Moore have been pretty damning for his reputation on Capitol Hill, and the following Republicans have parted ways with Moore:
- Vice President Mike Pence said, via his spokesperson, that Pence believes that if the allegations against Moore are true, then "this would disqualify anyone from serving in office."
- Sen. John McCain: "The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying. He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they are proud of."
- Former Gov. of Massachusetts Mitt Romney: "Innocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections. I believe Leigh Corfman. Her account is too serious to ignore. Moore is unfit for office and should step aside."
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski said, "I'm horrified and if this is true, he needs to step down immediately." She also said she has spoken to Luther Strange about becoming a write-in challenge, ultimately challenging Moore in the Dec. 12 election.
- Sen. Jeff Flake: "If there is any shred of truth to the allegations against Roy Moore, he should step aside immediately."
- Sen. John Cornyn, who endorsed Moore and is listed on his website, said the allegations are "deeply disturbing."
- Sen. David Perdue called the allegations "devastating" and said Moore should withdraw if they're true.
- Sen. Pat Toomey: "If there's a shred of truth to it, then he need to step aside."
- Sen. Richard Shelby: "If that's true, then he wouldn't belong in the Senate."
Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn were both on board for Moore, but they bailed Monday, calling for Moore to resign. In a Tuesday testimony before congress, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he has no reason to doubt the women's claims. In addition, the National Republican Senatorial Committee — which supports Republican Senate candidates -- has pulled their support for the Alabaman and on Wednesday they published their official poll. It showed Roy Moore trailing the Democrat by 12 points.
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