On November 9, 2017, The Washington Post published an article based on testimonials from four women claiming that Alabama judge, Roy Moore, sexually pursued them in the 1970s and 80s, when the women were between the ages of 14 and 18. Now 70 years old, Moore was in his early thirties at the time of the incidents. Since the 9th, the story has been covered by various other news outlets, eliciting both outrage and compliance from the general population as well as the testimonial of a fifth victim. The accusations come in the context of the upcoming special election for now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ vacated Senate seat for the state of Alabama, which will be held on December 12.
Allegations
In 1979, when Leigh Corfman was 14 years old, the then-32 year old Moore brought the girl into his home on two occasions and sexually assaulted her. The two first met in an Etowah County courthouse, where Corfman had accompanied her mother, Nancy Wells, to a child custody hearing in which the latter was involved. According to the Post, Moore offered to watch Corfman while Wells went into the courtroom. While alone, Moore asked Corfman for her phone number; they proceeded to communicate for a few days, at which point Moore picked up Corfman around the corner from her home and brought her to his house. At his home, over thirty minutes away, Moore allegedly kissed her. He repeated the process of picking up Corfman around the corner from her house on one other occasion; this time, he took off both of their clothing, touched her over her undergarments, and attempted to coerce her into touching him in the same way. Scared, Corfman states that she asked him to take her home; he did, but continued to invite her over. At this point, Corfman made excuses to stop seeing him and confided in her friends about the encounter.
In 1977, when Beverly Young Nelson was 16 years old, the then 30-year old Moore invited Nelson into his car, where he groped her and and attempted to physically force her into performing oral sex on him. The two met at Nelson’s place of work at the time, the Old Hickory House, where Moore regularly dined. After flirting with Nelson as she worked on multiple occasions, Moore offered to give her a ride home; when she agreed, he instead assaulted her. Nelson says that, when Moore began to grope her in his car, she attempted to open the car door and leave, to which Moore reached around her and locked her in. From the physical abuse, Nelson woke up the next morning with visible bruises on her neck. Most harrowingly, Nelson says that, after giving up his attempt to coerce her into oral sex, Moore looked at her and said, “you are a child. I am the district attorney of Etowah County. If you tell anyone about this, no one will believe you” (The Guardian, Ben Jacobs). This statement points to an acute awareness on Moore’s behalf of the immorality of his actions, and a gross abuse of power that is not uncommon in the modern day.
Although Nelson and Corfman are the only two women who have recounted explicitly sexual relations with Moore as minors, three other women have come forward stating that they were courted by the older man, all of which report being kissed by him.
Wendy Miller was also approached by Moore at the age of 14, when she was working as Santa’s helper at the Gadsden Mall. Moore complimented the girl, telling her she was pretty; two years later, he began to court her. The relationship was strictly opposed by Miller’s mother, who explicitly told Moore to stay away from her daughter, saying “let’s not rob the cradle” (Slate, William Saletan). In 1979 Moore also pursued 18-year-old Gloria Thacker Deason, whom he also met at the Gadsden Mall. Deadsden was working at Pizitz, a department store, at the time. Two years later, in 1981, Moore asked out 17-year-old Debbie Wesson Gibson, whom he met while speaking to her high school civics class about a career in the assistant district attorney’s office. Here, we see a gross abuse of power on Moore’s part, using his station as a quasi-celebrity to prey on young girls.
Responses
Moore himself has dismissed the allegations, slapping the testimonials of his victims with the ever-popular label of “fake news.” He is supported by his wife, Kayla Moore, whom is also 14 years his junior. His campaign staff also condemns the victims; campaign advisor Dean Young, described the situation by saying “for the next 33 days, Alabamians are going to be tested whether they can be tricked by fake news and the establishment.” Perhaps the most disturbing defense of Roy, however, came from the Alabama state auditor, who tried to justify the situation by making biblical parallels. “Also take Joseph and Mary… Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter. They became parents of Jesus,” stated the auditor, Jim Ziegler.
Others have come forward corroborating Moore’s behavior towards women in the 1970s and 80s. In a statement to CNN, a former co-worker of his claimed that Moore’s courtship of high school-aged girls at that time was well known.
Since November 9, prominent figures from both the Democratic and Republican parties have denounced Moore’s behavior. John McCain characterized the scandal as “deeply disturbing and disqualifying,” urging the candidate to drop out of the race (The Guardian, Ben Jacobs). Others, like Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, have gone further, saying that “if he refuses to withdraw and wins, the Senate should vote to expel him, because he does not meet the ethical and moral requirements of the United States Senate” (The Guardian, Ben Jacobs)
Although Moore’s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, has advanced in the polls since November 9, the race remains close. A question remains: after hearing the testimonials of five women, after imagining being preyed on by someone twice your age at the age of fourteen, how could someone cast their ballot for Roy Moore? The accusations against Moore come at a time of assault accusations nationwide, as powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey have been pushed off their pedestals by their own inappropriate behavior. During the special election, will we see the same happen to Moore?