McConnell asks Moore to step aside

WASHINGTON—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday said he believes the decades-old accounts from women who have accused former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore of inappropriate behavior, calling for the GOP Senate nominee to “step aside.” McConnell’s strong words come after other Republican politicians—including Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Steve Daines of Montana, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana—withdrew their support from Moore over the weekend, increasing the pressure for him to quit the race amid allegations of sexual misconduct reported in Thursday’s Washington Post. Moore is running against Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election in Alabama to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated after Jeff Sessions became U.S. attorney general. The Post report alleges Moore while in his early 30s dated teenage girls and pursued a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl when he was 32. Moore, 70, has denied any wrongdoing. During a campaign stop in Huntsville, Ala., Sunday night, Moore said he plans to take legal action against the newspaper: “The Washington Post published another attack on my character and reputation because they are desperate to stop my political campaign. … These attacks said I was with a minor child and are false and untrue—and for which they will be sued.” An MSNBC producer tweeted Monday that women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred plans to hold a news conference Monday afternoon with another woman who has sexual assault claims against Moore.