House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin says a U.S. Senate candidate accused of sexually assaulting teen girls should step aside.
Ryan was asked to comment on the allegations against Alabama Republican Roy Moore during a news conference in Washington. Dozens of witnesses have accused the Senate candidate of trying to start relationships with teen girls in the late 1970s and early 80s, when Moore was in his 30s, while multiple women have come forward saying he abused them when they were teens. The Washington Post last week first told the story of a woman who says Moore approached her when she was 14 years old.
Moore has denied the allegations against him.
“These allegations are credible,” Ryan told reporters Tuesday morning, just a day after another woman came forward with assault accusations. “If he cares about the values and the people he claims to care about, then he should step aside.”
Ryan is the latest of several Republicans who have called on Moore to drop out of next month’s special election for the Senate seat.
Governor Scott Walker on Monday also clarified his stance on Moore, a day after he drew criticism for not calling on him to leave the race while appearing on a Milwaukee news program that aired Sunday morning, but had been taped Friday. Walker indicated on “UpFront with Mike Gousha” that he had not been following the situation closely, but said Moore should drop out if the allegations were true.
Walker’s campaign released a statement Monday night saying that, “after reviewing the latest revelations that came to light,” the governors now believes Moore should step aside.