Sen. Orrin Hatch defended President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Alabama Republican Senate candidate on Monday, saying Trump had little choice but to back Moore.
Moore is accused of pursuing relationships with teenage girls when he was in his 30’s. He also allegedly sexually assaulted one teenaged girl and had inappropriate contact with another.
On Monday, Trump called Moore from Air Force One while on his way to Utah and gave Moore his full endorsement. From The Hill:
“I don’t think he had any choice but to do that,” Hatch told the White House press pool on Tuesday. “That’s the only Republican we can get down there.”
The Utah senator also appeared to downplay the accusations, which come from women who say they were as young as 14 at the time, pointing out that the alleged offenses took place a long time ago.
“Many of the things he allegedly did were decades ago,” he added.
Following Trump’s embrace of Moore, former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney slammed the idea that Moore could win a seat in the U.S. Senate following the troubling allegations against him. Romney said on Twitter that Moore in the U.S. Senate “would be a stain on the GOP and the nation.”
Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) December 4, 2017
