Roy Exum
I knew I was going to get a lot of reaction to my Monday article about Roy Moore, the Alabama candidate for Senate, but I’m standing firm on an American cornerstone. Any person in the United States can be accused of anything but every person who is alleged to have committed a wrong is heavily protected by one fundamental belief – You are innocent until proven guilty.
Roy Moore has adamantly denied any wrongdoing or any type of sexual assault some 40 years ago. On Monday a fifth woman came forward and told she was once assaulted by Roy Moore. I don’t know if she is telling the truth or not. I don’t know anything about Roy Moore; whether he is telling the truth or not.
Most of all, I will play no part in what happens because I am not a voter in Alabama, not about to take sides in this grievous turn of events, and wrote yesterday’s story because the frenzied media is playing the public like a piano. No one should ever have to prove their integrity through inflammatory stories and baseless accusations.
On Monday the public lynching just picked up more speed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said, “I think he should step aside,” McConnell, adding: “I believe the women, yes."
Susan Collins, a Senator from Maine, found she could make judgement pretty easily. Her tweet yesterday, “I have now read Mr. Moore’s statement and listened to his radio interview in which he denies the charges. I did not find his denials to be convincing and believe that he should withdraw from the Senate race in Alabama.”
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., also issued a statement: "I believe the individuals speaking out against Roy Moore spoke with courage and truth, proving he is unfit to serve in the United States Senate and he should not run for office. 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."
My goodness, how can you expel somebody you know nothing about, over circumstances any judge would label as “hear-say,” unless there is solid proof of a misdeed? That’s not America, where liberty and justice must prevail.
As I said, I’ve gotten a stack of emails since my story broke and here are some excerpts:
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“Really sad but not surprising you would take the stance of not believing the victim of the sexual predator... sure hope you don’t share this at your family thanksgiving table. Very, very sad.”
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“I think Trump will be happy with (Moore) and I think he was trying to show favor with Mitch! I hope they can get the tape and drop it in an ad against the Democrat and the swamp. Corker and the establishment are self-destructing and playing into the Democrats hands! Trump has had great success for this country and our economy even without his party’s elite backing him. Thanks again for your amazing insight.”
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“Thank you for your column exposing the hypocrisy and the double standard that so many within the Washington “beltway” apply to others. Clearly the Washington establishment is scared to death of Judge Moore and the light of truth that he will shine on the “swamp.’
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As someone who had Roy Moore as a visiting law school professor at Regent School of Law, I can tell you from experience that he is not a nice person. I am very surprised that some of my fellow female classmates have not spoken out about him. Imagine a visiting law professor hitting on female students at a Christian law school. I am not jumping on the bandwagon, I have always spoken up regarding him.”
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“Excellent defense of Roy Moore, Roy! (Your grandfather) would have given you a high five! As the swamp creatures fight back, real journalists continue to buy ink by the barrel.
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“Why you leave no room in your article about Roy Moore that the claims could possibly be true baffles me. As someone who supposedly "hates rape" according to an article in which you had to apologize for failing to call out rape culture, it is unbelievable that you say nothing (yet again) in your latest article about the atrociousness of, even the possibility that any of this is true. It is a detestable article and disrespectful of the women who have come forward. You base your entire article on the simple claim that "It seems to me something like that wouldn’t have stayed bottled up for this long, particularly with as colorful a life as the judge has led in Alabama." ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
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“You Republicans are all a disgrace.”
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I’ll make one prediction – by the time this one is over we’ll have never seen anything like it.
royexum@aol.com