Alabama Rep.: ‘Someone Should Prosecute And Go After’ Moore Accusers

Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a rally, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Fairhope, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a rally, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Fairhope, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

State Rep. Ed Henry (R) thinks that the women accusing GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of pursuing sexual relationships with them as teens are not only lying, but should also face prosecution.

“I think someone should prosecute and go after them,” Henry told the Cullman Times on Thursday evening. “You can’t be a victim 40 years later, in my opinion.”

Henry, who co-chaired President Donald Trump’s Alabama campaign, had similarly attacked the accusers in an interview with TPM, saying the allegations were “very opportunistic” and that the women “are just looking for their chance to get on some liberal talk show.”

The women need to provide photographic evidence of the encounters, Henry said. “They got some pictures? That’ll do.”

Further piling blame on the women, the state representative argued that their delay in making their stories public rendered them suspect.

“If you believe for a second that any of these are true then shame on these women for not coming forward in the last 30 years,” Henry told TPM. “It’s not like this guy hasn’t been in the limelight for decades.”

On Thursday, the Washington Post dropped an explosive report in which Alabama resident Leigh Corfman accused Moore of initiating a sexual encounter when she was only 14 years old. Three other women told the Post that Moore pursued sexual relationships with them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18.

The alleged encounter and relationships date back about 40 years, when Moore was in his thirties. The Senate nominee has vehemently denied the accusations.

Henry isn’t alone; a number of his Republican colleagues in Alabama’s state legislature were quick to defend Moore, who served as an Alabama Supreme Court justice before getting kicked off the bench for ordering judges to ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

“I think it’s just a bunch of bull,” said Perry Hooper Jr., Trump’s other Alabama campaign chairman.

The Post reports that the women were initially reluctant to come forward, but ultimately decided it was important for people to know about their experiences.

“I have prayed over this,” Corfman told the Post. “All I know is that I can’t sit back and let this continue, let him continue without the mask being removed.”

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: