US Senator John Thune, the 3rd ranked Republican in the US Senate noted yesterday that – contrary to what President Trump has noted – a victory by embattled Alabama Republican Roy Moore in the Alabama US Senate race would be just as bad as a loss by Republicans in the contest:
Many Republicans on Capitol Hill have called for Moore to step aside, but he has refused to do so. In a pair of tweets Sunday, Trump warned that electing Moore’s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, “would be a disaster!” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., issued his own warning, saying that a victory by Moore would hurt Republicans just as much as a loss.
“If Moore wins, there will immediately be an ethics investigation, and he will be working under a cloud. He is a distraction,” Thune, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “I would like to see the president come out and do what we’ve done, saying Moore should step aside.”
Someone needs to primary John Thune.
Why? Because he’s right?
We don’t need the distraction.
How does anyone know he did this?
What does he say about Franken?
Franken has asked for an ethics investigation of his misdeeds.
And what is there to investigate he ADMITS IT.
Democrats can’t help but be hypocrites…he and Rep Conyers both have admissions or settlements on file but still won’t go….
at least Moore is fighting it and as it does the cases keep falling apart against him.
Senator Thune is right!
In Roy Moore’s blanket denial of wrongdoing I don’t recall him denying the elements of the 14 year old girl’s claims that he knew her and that he took her out on a date when he was 32. He denied touching her inappropriately, but he didn’t specifically deny picking her up around the corner from her house or taking her to his house. It seemed very odd when his campaign tried to (falsely) cast shade on her claim of the address of her house at the time, but not on whether he picked her up around the corner from wherever she was living.
Seems to me that at age 32, Roy Moore wasn’t looking for a wife his own age because the selection was limited. They were married, divorced, single moms. He wanted a fresh peach, and crossed the line trying to pick one.
It seems to me that, at age 32, Roy Moore wasn’t looking for a wife at all. It would have been legal for him to marry Leigh Corfman at age 14 with parental consent. If that had been what he was after, he should have been trying to win her parents’ approval for the relationship rather than sneaking around behind their backs.
Contrary to what you recall, Moore is explicitly claiming that every aspect of Corfman’s account is a lie. He said this to Sean Hannity: “I don’t know Miss Corfman from anybody. I never talked to her or never had any contact with her. Allegations of sexual misconduct with her are completely false. I believe they are politically motivated. I believe they’re brought on to stop a very successful campaign. That’s what they’re doing. I’ve never known this woman …”
Moore is unfit for the U.S. Senate, not because of what he did to Corfman 40 years ago, but because of what he’s doing to her today. The man is a 100-percent fake Christian and always has been. He’s a monster, and anyone who believes his election would ultimately help the country or even the Republican Party would seem to have a tenuous grip on reality.
Thune is doing the right thing here, and his critics aren’t.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/11/10/roy-moores-shaky-defense-of-the-sexual-misconduct-allegations-annotated/
Wow! None of us know what happened. I am appalled by this if it happened and I am equally appalled if he is being falsely accused.
What if Thune were accused falsely?
Yikes. We Are on a very slippery slope.
With the 20 week abortion ban waiting for a vote on the Senate floor this AL Senate race has great significance. The people of Alabama are choosing between an accused pedophile and an actual abortion advocate.
He also bad-mouthed Trump in similar circumstances prior to the election. I believe the MO was similar. Wait awhile to see which way the wind is blowing, then make what he hopes will be the popular decision, but wait until the tide shifts again before announcing the (wrong) decision. It’s looking less and less likely that any of the allegations against Moore are true, and Thune’s late to the party, again.
Still Thune’s not as embarrassing as Daschle. I wouldn’t seek somebody to run against him. If a competent successor who is more in line with South Dakota values were to show up I would support that person over Thune. Since Thune’s stature on the national level is fading (which is probably why he’s trying to appear relevant by commenting on a local matter in another state) he’s not doing any actual harm. Till a worthy successor shows up he’s a placeholder and better than nothing.
What is wrong with this country? Democrats and Republicans both have their scumbags and these justifications are outrageous! Was it not bad enough that we elected Trump as President and now we are considering electing this weirdo? Sex or not I don’t think anyone on here would be ok with this guy in his 30s pursing their young teenage daughters. You are sick in the head if you think it’s more important to have an “R” in the column than sending a clear message that this type of behavior is not ok and we have a much higher standard.
As conservatives we have talked about family values, God, and having integrity. How do we not look like the biggest hypocrites here? I guess after electing Trump, it just gets easier to vote for low-lifes.
John, tell me about the “HUSH” fund. You’ve taken a stand on the sidelines while this has been happening. Would this be as damaging ? Seems an ethics panel has been long overdue !
If Moore gets in he would vote for a conservative agenda; I think that’s a given and it is more than Collins, McCain, Murkowski, and others have been doing.
Moore would be investigated and may be replaced, but it would be with a Republican, not a socialist like Jones. The Republicans, Thune included, have not delivered, and they need all the help they can get.
If Moore is elected and is found to have done these things he should be out, but it is for Alabama voters to decide, not senators Thune, McConnell, McCain, et al.
For the Dems, you put up and idolized Teddy Kennedy for years, so your opinion matters not to me; you have no credibility whatsoever in this discussion. Included in this group are McConnell and others.
Well said. Any “conservative” senator who finds him/herself agreeing with John McCain should check his/her motives.
Agreed. Thune has become McCain light.
Thune called for Trump and Moore to drop out before he knew anything about the allegations. He is more worried about being liked by democrats than doing the right thing or getting anything done. .
In my mind, Thune needs to take a purely political/electoral position because of his Leadership position. This Senate seat is critical to any progress on tax reform, Obamacare and a host of other issues. Standing behind a potential pedophile because we don’t yet have proof isn’t worth it to me.
1) If the polls and boots on the ground in Alabama think Moore will win, let the election happen and investigate the charges.
2) If the polls and boots on the ground in Alabama think Moore will lose, he needs to put pressure on Moore to step-aside so the Moore name on the ballot can be who the Governor would announce he would promise to appoint.
If it is close between whether he will win or lose, I go with #2.
Just like the polls said Trump would lose the presidential election, right? Nothing has been proven about these 40 year old allegation against Moore, in fact, a lot of discrepancies are coming out. Conyers and Franken have both admitted to recent wrong doing, neither are resigning. John, stick to SD politics and stay out of other states’ business.
In the last election, I did not vote for Thune. He has become part of the swamp culture. Here we have a Senator judging a man over mere accusations in which at least some of the accusers appear to be less than reliable. How would he like it if someone who he does not even know claimed he did something to them 30 years ago and have all of his colleagues tell him he needs to step down? This is totally unfair of Thune.
Or 9 accusers.
Of those accusers, one is a situation that if true would be a crime. That one has holes in her story. Some claim he dated them, but did not do anything he should not have done. One claims he groped her in his office. Could that accusation have something to do with Moore representing the accuser’s mom in a child custody case in which the accuser lost custody of her child? One is a person who claims he tried to assault her in a car that had doors that were locked. She says she could not get out because of the locked doors. Those locks were not invented yet. She also claims to have a yearbook signed at Christmas from a BBQ joint. Who takes a yearbook out to work at Christmas time? And she won’t release the yearbook to have the dubious signature examined. Sadly, when some women make stuff up, it makes people wonder about others. We have seen that former security people who have made claims about the mall and football games have political axes to grind and have been less than truthful. I pretty much predicted after the first person came out with a story others would in a drip, drip, drip. I believe the accusations are politically motivated.
Shut up, John.
Trump said he won’t campaign for Moore. Hardly a vote of confidence and not far removed from asking him to step down. Arkansas’ other senator, Shelby, even said today he didn’t vote for the perv.
What kind of proof against Moore do you want? It’s not a court of law, anyway. It’s the court of public opinion, and even if you were to hold it to the level of the court of law: There are nine unrelated eye witnesses, with other witnesses who corraborate their stories at the time; he was banned from a mall; he hasn’t denied the allegations; and had/has obvious proclivities toward teen girls when he was in his 30s (just ask his wife, as she was one of them).
I’m as red meat Republican as they come, and am damn glad my senator has a moral compass and stands for what is right and against what is wrong. I’m glad he doesn’t support a pedophile.
And I’m not willing to throw my convictions and character out the window so I can save a few bucks on health insurance.
Thune is so right on this. I admire his convictions.
If Roy Moore wins, the man he will have to thank is Al Frankin.
Thune has become more and more disappointing each time he talks. He has become a big part of the entrenched establishment swamp. He asked both Trump and Moore to step down before any of the allegations had been proven. Why ? Because both Trump and Moore are popular anti-establishment Republicans. Apparently Thune and his clan would rather have more ultra-liberal Dems in DC than actual conservatives. That speaks volumes !!! I have followed the details of the Moore allegations, I believe all the detractors have been proven as liars. It’s pretty easy these days to orchestrate a big smear campaign against anyone. All it takes is a pile of money, and Washington has most of ours !
You can bet McConnell, McCain, Thune and the other establishment Republicans are hoping Moore loses. They don’t want an anti-establishment conservative.
Thune is just a puppet for Mcconell.Thune didn’t want Trump either , and now he bends over at every move .Now coming a disaster in tax reform and he sugar coats it.Their is more to be being a senator than photo ops and signing little basketballs.
Actually, someone should ask Thune about Nancy Naeve.
You must be referring to that period of time when Nancy Naeve had a boyfriend who was working for John and the three of them were all seen in a restaurant together.
It was shocking.