Judge Roy Moore, Republican candidate for the Senate in Alabama has been accused of sexual misconduct on two occasions and with two separate women. The first woman (Leigh Corfman) claims she was 14 when she had an encounter with Roy Moore in 1979. The essence of her claim is that Mr. Moore touched her inappropriately making her feel uncomfortable. The second woman (Beverly Young Nelson), who was 16 at the time, claims that in 1977 Mr. Moore sexually assaulted her. I would encourage you to read the claims yourself for more details. There are three other women who have claimed that Judge Moore dated them when they were between the age of 16-18 and he was in his early 30’s. None of these three women claim any sexual misconduct.
With the first accuser, the Washington Post interviewed two friends and her mother (Nancy Wells). The story claims that “Two of Corfman’s childhood friends say she told them at the time that she was seeing an older man, and one says Corfman identified the man as Moore. Wells says her daughter told her about the encounter more than a decade later, as Moore was becoming more prominent as a local judge.”
The second accuser, Mrs. Nelson, claims she told her sister about the incident two weeks later, her mother about four years ago, and she told her husband before they got married 13 years ago.
Notice what these two allegations have in common? There are no eyewitnesses who can confirm the claim by Mrs. Corfman or Mrs. Nelson. To this point, this is a “he said, she said” story.
What else do these two accusers have in common? Their testimony is well controlled. To my knowledge, Mrs. Corfman has not done an in-depth interview with anyone other than the Washington Post. Mrs. Nelson has only given a scripted statement once with attorney Gloria Allred by her side.
Do you not find it odd that these women, their relatives, and close friends, who are linked in the two stories, haven’t been interviewed by any another media outlets about their claims?
Nonetheless, as I write this, there is no definitive evidence to confirm that these two allegations are true or false. The two women say these incidents occurred and Judge Roy Moore says they did not occur. The Judge added that he doesn’t even know these women.
Most disturbing is that Republican lawmakers, some of whom I have a high deal of respect for, are condemning the judge based solely on the reports I cited above.
Senator John McCain, Mitch McConnell, and many others came out before the ink was dry at WaPo and demanded that Judge Moore step aside. Sen. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and others demanded the same in the days following the initial story. The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Republican National Committee said they’d no longer financially support the Moore campaign. Karl Rove held a sharpie board up on Fox News that had “five things that could happen in Alabama.” All five have to do with Judge Moore either quitting, losing, or being expelled from the Senate if he were to win.
Remember, we are dealing with accusations, not a conviction based on a jury of one’s peers or even an official investigation based on indisputable evidence. In the election of 2008 Senator John McCain, then-presidential candidate, was accused of having an affair with a lady who was roughly 30 years younger than himself. In the 2016 election, then-presidential candidate Ted Cruz was accused of having multiple affairs. According to their own standard, these men should have immediately stepped aside.
We’ve entered dangerous territory when a mere accusation can cost someone his/her career. Judge Moore has been in the public eye for over 30 years and this accusation is just now surfacing, four weeks before one of the most important elections in recent years?
In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 19:15 says, “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” In the New Testament, this principle is affirmed. 1 Timothy 5:9 says, “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.”
If I’m wrong and in the coming days and weeks the evidence against the Judge becomes undeniable then I will humbly admit that I was wrong and apologize to the women involved. As I see it today, I cannot, in good conscience, condemn the judge and demand that he step down from this race. For me, it would be irresponsible, unjust, and unbiblical.
For these reasons, I stand by my support of the Judge and his character.
