Fox News host Sean Hannity declared on Tuesday evening’s edition of “Hannity” that Alabama senatorial candidate Roy Moore must “remove any doubt” about his alleged interactions with teenage girls decades ago or drop out of the race within 24 hours.
Hannity’s ultimatum, which came only days after the Fox News host interviewed Moore on his nationally syndicated radio program and slammed the mainstream media for its “rush to judgment” over allegations Moore pursued teenage girls in the 1970s, was inspired by another accuser speaking out Monday.
“(B)etween this interview that I did and the inconsistent answers, between him saying I never knew this girl and then that yearbook comes out — for me, the judge has 24 hours,” Hannity said. “You must immediately and fully come up with a satisfactory explanation for your inconsistencies that I just showed.
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“You must remove any doubt,” he added. “If you can’t do this, then Judge Moore needs to get out of this race. This country has way too many issues and problems. The American people deserve 100 percent truth and honesty.”
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During a news briefing Monday alongside attorney Gloria Allred, the latest accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, claimed Moore attempted to rape her shortly after her 16th birthday in 1977.
She also displayed her yearbook from 1977, which featured a note from Moore that read, “To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas. Christmas 1977. Love, Roy Moore, D.A. 12-22-77 Olde Hickory House.”
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Following the news briefing, Moore adamantly denied even knowing Nelson.
“I can tell you without hesitation this is absolutely false,” he told reporters Tuesday, according to AL.com. “I never did what she said I did. I don’t even know the woman. I don’t know anything about her.”
It was this perceived inconsistency between Moore claiming to not know Nelson and his name showing up in her yearbook that troubled Hannity.
“He denied knowing this fifth accuser, but this accuser has brought forth a yearbook that Moore appeared to sign,” he said Tuesday.
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“We need correct answers the first time on issues this serious,” he concluded. “Judge Moore, you owe that to the people of Alabama, the Republican Party that you represent, and to the country, which is suffering under so many problems. We deserve answers, consistent answers, and truth.”
During an interview Friday with Hannity regarding other allegations against him — including a claim made public in The Washington Post that he initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old — Moore made it clear he opposes the idea of a pedophile serving in Congress.
“If you abuse a 14-year-old, you shouldn’t be a Senate candidate,” he said. “I agree with that, but I did not do that.”
A number of congressional leaders have also spoken out against Moore, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, both of whom have called for him to drop out of the Senate race, as noted by the Los Angeles Times.
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