Controversial Senate candidate Roy Moore responded to an ultimatum from Fox News host Sean Hannity with an open letter Wednesday.
On his show Tuesday, Hannity said Moore — who has been accused of having sexual or romantic relations with girls as young as 14 while he was in his 30s, and who has been inconsistent in his explanations of events — had 24 hours to settle any inconsistencies, or else he should drop out of the Alabama Senate race.
Moore responded with an open letter, which Hannity read in full on the air Wednesday.
“I’m suffering the same treatment other Republicans have had to endure,” Moore wrote. “I have been attacked by the Washington Post and other liberal media in a desperate attempt to smear my character and defeat my campaign.”
Later in the letter, Moore said he denies accusations from Leigh Corfman — who says Moore initiated a romantic relationship with her when she was 14 — and Beverly Young Nelson, who recently came forward to say Moore assaulted her when she was 16. Moore also cast doubt on the validity of a yearbook Nelson said was signed by Moore, suggesting that the entry may have been forged.
“Are we at a stage in American politics,” Moore wrote, “in which false allegations can overcome a public record of 40 years, stampede the media and politicians to condemn an innocent man and potentially impact the outcome of an election of national importance?”
Watch Hannity read the entire letter in the video above.
