The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
CrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Politics

      Roy Moore Tries to Combat Molestation Allegations on Sean Hannity—And Makes Things Worse

      FAULTY MEMORY

      The Alabama politician categorically denied the worst allegation in the Washington Post’s story, but did not deny that he may have dated teenagers half his age.

      Gideon Resnick

      Political Reporter

      Updated Nov. 10, 2017 7:09PM ET / Published Nov. 10, 2017 6:00PM ET 

      Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast

      Roy Moore denied on Friday that he broke the law in dating young girls decades ago. Whether he had acted creepily, well, that was another matter.

      Moore attempted to bat down allegations of sexual misconduct reported by The Washington Post on Thursday, but may have made matters even worse. The Alabama Senate candidate claimed never to have met Leigh Corfman, who told the Post that when she was 14 years old, Moore picked her up and forced himself on her sexually. But Moore was conspicuously more vague when pressed about allegations that he sexually pursued  a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old.

      During an appearance on Sean Hannity’s radio program on Friday afternoon, Moore claimed that Corman’s allegations were categorically false.

      “These allegations are completely false and misleading,” Moore told Hannity.

      “But more than that, it hurts me personally because you know, I’m a father. I have one daughter, I have five granddaughters, and I have a special concern for the protection of young ladies,” Moore continued.

      Corfman told the Post that when she was 14 years old in 1979, when Moore himself was 32, the then-deputy district attorney kissed her and touched her over her bra and underwear and attempted to place her hand on his crotch.

      “I’ve never talked to her, never had any contact with her,” Moore said of Corfman.

      The Post interviewed three additional women who said Moore pursued them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18, while he was in his early thirties.

      During Hannity’s show, Moore acknowledged that he remembered the names of two women in the report: Debbie Wesson Gibson, who was around 17 in her account of his behavior, and Gloria Thacker Deason, who was around 18.

      Moore went on to say, specifically about these two women, that he did not “remember going out on dates.”

      Perhaps more disturbingly, though, Moore did acknowledge that when he returned to the United States after his service in the Vietnam War, he “dated a lot of young ladies.”

      Moore’s interview with Hannity is unlikely to tamp down the white hot controversy that is now engulfing his campaign, as GOP senators said he should step down if the allegations are true and the Senate GOP’s campaign arm severed financial ties today.

      Deason’s account to the Post included a detail about her alleged dates with Moore in which he would purchase Mateus Rose wine.

      Pressed on this specific detail, Moore told Hannity: “She said she believed she was underaged. As I recall she was 19 or older. I never provided intoxicating liquor to a minor. I seem to remember her as a good girl.”

      Asked more generally whether he had dated anyone in their late teens when he was in his early thirties, Moore said “not generally, no.”

      And then backtracked a bit saying: “I don’t remember dating any girl without the permission of her mother.”

      Moore later added that dating someone half or nearly half his age would be “out of my customary behavior.”

      Later in the interview, he went on the offensive, claiming without evidence that “We’re also doing an investigation and we have some evidence of collusion here.” But Moore claimed that they would reveal what that may be at a later date.

      Hannity asked Moore directly if someone who did what the Post alleged should be permitted to be a Senate candidate.

      “If you abuse a 14-year-old you shouldn’t be a Senate candidate. I agree with that,” Moore said. “But I did not do that.”

      Gideon Resnick

      Political Reporter

      @GideonResnick

      Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

      READ THIS LIST

      DAILY BEAST
      • Cheat Sheet
      • Politics
      • Entertainment
      • Media
      • World
      • Innovation
      • U.S. News
      • Scouted
      • Travel
      • Subscription
      • Crossword
      • Newsletters
      • Podcasts
      • About
      • Contact
      • Tips
      • Jobs
      • Advertise
      • Help
      • Privacy
      • Code of Ethics & Standards
      • Diversity
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Copyright & Trademark
      • Sitemap
      • Best Picks
      • Coupons
      • Coupons:
      • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
      • HP Coupon Codes
      • Chewy Promo Codes
      • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
      • NordVPN Coupons
      • JCPenny Coupons
      • Nordstrom Coupons
      • Samsung Promo Coupons
      • Home Depot Coupons
      • Hotwire Promo Codes
      • eBay Coupons
      • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
      © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC