Moore tells accusers to 'tell the truth' at final rally

ByKARMA ALLEN ABCNews logo
Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama, told the women accusing him of sexual misconduct to "tell the truth" as he made a final push to woo voters ahead of the state's general election on Tuesday.

At his final rally on Monday night, Moore appeared to target the eight women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. When asked during the rope line to address the claims, Moore, who has denied the allegations levied against him, told ABC News' Tom Llamas the women should "tell the truth."

"The fake news began after I [had an] 11-point lead in the general election," Moore told supporters from the stage in Midland City, Alabama. "But they waited till 30 days before this general election to come forward. Now they've allowed their pictures to be on a political advertisement, and they've gone on national television arguing their case, after waiting 40 years."

Former White House strategist Steve Bannon, who also spoke at Monday's rally, used his time on stage to go after fellow Republicans -- including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee -- who denounced Moore in the wake of the misconduct allegations.

"There's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better. You know what they're doing and they're trying to shut up President Trump and Judge Moore, they're trying to shut you up," Bannon said.

"Why do you think the whole world's here, why do you think they're down here in Dothan in the middle of Alabama? You know why, this is about raw power," he added.

Many Republicans on Capitol Hill have urged Moore to step aside, despite having Trump's backing.

The president recorded a robocall over the weekend urging voters to stand with Moore.

"Roy Moore is the guy we need to pass our 'Make America Great Again' agenda," Trump said on the call. "Roy is a conservative who will help me steer this country back on track after eight years of the Obama disaster. Get out and vote for Roy Moore."

Moore was pushing to raise money as late as Monday afternoon, when he singled out frequent Trump opponent Rosie O'Donnell as a supporter of Democrat Doug Jones.

Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, is set to face off with Jones, a former U.S. attorney, on Tuesday. The race is forecast to be a tight one.

A Fox News poll released Monday shows Jones leading by 10 points, while a Washington Post/George Mason University poll released earlier this month had Jones with a 3 point lead.

ABC News' Tom Llamas, Mike Conte and John Verhovek contributed to this report.

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