Trump endorses accused child molester Roy Moore for Senate

US President Donald Trump issues his most explicit endorsement to date of embattled Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, who has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women including one who was 14 years old at the time.

Trump had previously characterized the allegations, first reported by The Washington Post, as “very troubling” before changing tack and warning voters in Moore’s home state of Alabama that a victory for his Democratic rival Doug Jones “would be a disaster!”

In a tweet, he cites Democrats’ opposition to his legislative agenda, including tax cuts, as reasons for his support.

“Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama,” he tweets.

“We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!”

Moore, a 70-year-old Christian conservative with a history of controversy stemming from his tenure on Alabama’s supreme court, had been a strong favorite to win the right-wing state’s special election on December 12 before the allegations broke.

Most of the allegations about Moore relate to when he was a prosecutor in his mid-30s and sought to pursue relationships with teens, according to the reports.

— AFP