Brother Complains Roy Moore Is Being Persecuted Like Christ

If the allegations against Roy Moore lead to a Democrat winning Alabama's US Senate race next month, it could "reshape Washington's political landscape," NBC News reports. The Republican majority in the Senate would go down to 51-49, which leaves Democrats a much more likely path to flipping things in 2018. To get control of the Senate, they'd need to keep all their vulnerable seats and add Arizona and Nevada, where NBC estimates they have at least a 50% chance of victory. And even before the 2018 elections, the GOP tax plan could be in trouble—the slimmer Republicans' margin of control in the Senate, the harder they have to work to get senators like Rand Paul, Bob Corker, and Susan Collins on board since they can only afford to lose one GOP vote.

• For now, it doesn't seem Moore—accused of molesting a 14-year-old when he was 32, among other things—is planning to withdraw so another Republican can run in his place; it's unclear whether he'd even be able to withdraw at this late date.
• Alabama's state auditor defended Moore Thursday by comparing his situation to that of Mary and Joseph, a Biblical couple with a big age difference who "became parents of Jesus." In the Washington Post, Aaron Blake calls Jim Zeigler's words "the worst defense" of Moore so far. If Moore did what he's accused of, it was illegal, hands down—not just "unusual" as Zeigler calls it. Blake notes that evangelical leaders are also slamming Zeigler's remarks.
• Another Jesus comparison: Roy Moore's brother says the politician is being persecuted like Christ was, CNN reports. Jerry Moore also said he's very concerned about the effect all this will have on their 91-year-old mother.

• Some Republicans are calling for outgoing Sen. Luther Strange, who lost to Moore in the primary, to launch a write-in campaign for the open seat, Fox News reports. Strange says it's too early to make a decision on the matter.
• Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale got in touch with multiple GOP officials in Alabama to ask them about the accusations, rounding up their responses defending Moore on Twitter and in the Star. Business Insider rounds up the tweets in an easier-to-read format. One response includes the line, "14-year-olds don't make good decisions."
• One of the conservatives going furthest in his defense of Moore: Alabama State Representative Ed Henry, who told the Cullman Times Friday that he believes the accusations are politically motivated due to their timing. "If [Moore's accusers] believe this man is predatory, they are guilty of allowing him to exist for 40 years. I think someone should prosecute and go after them. You can’t be a victim 40 years later, in my opinion."
• Most definitely not defending Moore? Mitt Romney. "Innocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections," Romney tweeted Friday. "I believe Leigh Corfman. Her account is too serious to ignore. Moore is unfit for office and should step aside."

• A Republican congressman from Florida suggests Moore should be in prison if the allegations are true. Rep. Matt Gaetz questioned the timing of the accusations in an interview with CNN, per the Raw Story, but said if they're true the politician "frankly shouldn’t be freely walking among us."
• The Washington Post rounds up yet more reactions to the allegations (one RNC member says he trusts Vladimir Putin more than Moore's accusers) and notes that the division in the responses highlights "the growing tribalism that has infected the nation’s politics."
• Steve Bannon, a strong backer of Moore in the primary, finds the whole thing suspiciously similar to the Access Hollywood tapes that leaked before Donald Trump was elected president. "The Bezos-Amazon-Washington Post that dropped that dime on Donald Trump, is the same Bezos-Amazon-Washington Post that dropped the dime this afternoon on Judge Roy Moore. Now is that a coincidence?" he said at a speech Thursday night, per CBS News. "That's what I mean when I say opposition party, right? It's purely part of the apparatus of the Democratic Party."
• At the Washington Post, Callum Borchers calls Bannon's comparison "unhelpful," since the information revealed on the Access Hollywood tapes was "demonstrably true," not a media smear. At CNN, Chris Cillizza comes up with four more reasons Bannon's comparison is "unbelievable."
• For those interested in how exactly the Post story on Moore came about, the Week has details.
• At the Washington Post, Greg Sargent offers up a potential explanation for why so many Republicans, including President Trump, are stopping short of calling for Moore to exit the race: He still has a decent chance of winning the race, and offering up a write-in candidate would only serve to split the Republican vote.

(More Roy Moore stories.)