Roy Moore spokeswoman Janet Porter came in for some tough questions from an unusual source — Fox News.
Monday, the night before the Alabama special Senate election, anchor Martha Maccallum grilled Porter on her candidate’s insistence that he did not write an inscription in Beverly Young Nelson’s yearbook or sign it.
Nelson, one of several women now accusing Moore of sexual misconduct, says the inscription and signature prove she knew Moore. He had said he has never met his accusers.
“That yearbook was shown to be a fraud, for those who missed it, the woman who said that he signed it, he didn’t sign it. She said she signed it in part, which is forgery,” Porter insisted.
“Hold on a second, hold on Janet. The note he wrote. The date and the place is in her handwriting. We have to be factual about this.” said Maccallum. “He wrote her that lovely note, right?”
The yearbook includes an inscription in cursive writing that reads: “To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas. Christmas 1977. Love, Roy Moore.” Below the signature are the printed words “D.A.” and “12-22-77 Olde Hickory House.”
Nelson’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, has said Nelson wrote the printed words — and only the printed words — “to remind herself who Roy Moore was, and where and when Mr. Moore signed her yearbook.”
But that led some Moore defenders to say all the writing is a forgery.
Porter dodged, hitting upon Nelson’s original claim that the entire yearbook entry had been Moore’s.
“She previously said he signed the whole thing,” said Porter. “What she said was that Judge Roy Moore, this was his entire inscription.”
“Janet, you know you’re splitting hairs here,” said a visibly annoyed Maccallum as Porter continued to filibuster.
Moore has completely denied every allegation of sexual misconduct that has been leveled against him throughout the campaign.
On Friday, Nelson attorney Gloria Allred said a third-party handwriting expert had authenticated both the signature and inscription as Moore’s.
TheWrap has reviewed a copy of that authentication.
It’s not the first time Porter has found herself in the hot seat defending her candidate. During an appearance on CNN earlier this month, she told interviewer Poppy Harlow that far more women had not accused the judge of anything. – and we need to remember that
“We need to make it clear that there’s a group of non-accusers, that have not accused the judge of any sexual misconduct or anything illegal.” she said.
7 Times Matt Lauer Came Under Fire, From Sexual Harassment Accusations to Ann Curry Ousting (Photos)
Matt Lauer was terminated by NBC News on Wednesday after the company received a complaint of sexual harassment against him. But that's not the first time the longtime "Today" host found himself in hot water.
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Rumors of extramarital affairs dogged Lauer during his tenure on "Today," with tabloid reports linking him to other members of the show, including Natalie Morales. In 2010, NBC News finally responded to the allegations, calling them "completely inaccurate and unfounded" and "reckless and harmful to the Lauer family."
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Ann Curry was ousted from "Today" in 2012 as the show was losing ground to ABC's "Good Morning America," and after she issued a tearful on-air goodbye Lauer was widely viewed as the reason for her departure. New York Magazine later reported that the two had a tense off-camera relationship, and though Curry took the fall, Lauer was more to blame for the show's declining viewership.
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In 2012, Lauer was criticized for asking Anne Hathaway about an upskirt photo taken at the premiere of "Les Miserables" and attempting to make a joke of the situation by saying he'd "seen a lot of you lately." Hathaway was praised for how she handled the situation, gently shutting down the line of questioning by saying it was unfortunate that the culture "commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants."
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In 2006, Lauer's wife Annette Roque filed for divorce, alleging that she suffered "cruel and inhumane" treatment at the hands of her controlling husband. The two eventually reconciled and Roque, who was pregnant at the time, withdrew the paperwork, but the documents were obtained and published by the National Enquirer in 2014.
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Lauer's former co-anchor Katie Couric joked about his behavior in a 2012 interview with Andy Cohen. "He pinches me on the ass a lot," she said, calling it Lauer's most annoying habit. Video of the interview, which was handled jokingly at the time, was recirculated following his termination for a sexual misconduct allegation.
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Lauer moderated a pair of NBC News town halls during the 2016 presidential election, which were widely slammed for the way he questioned the two candidates. Lauer repeatedly asked Hillary Clinton about her email server and rushed past other, more concrete policy issues. Meanwhile, he was perceived to have gone much softer on Donald Trump, failing to press the then-nominee on repeated falsehoods.
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Lauer was finally axed by NBC News and removed from "Today" in 2017, after the company received a "detailed complaint" from a colleague accusing him of inappropriate sexual behavior.
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Morning show host was axed following a sexual misconduct allegation by an NBC News colleague
Matt Lauer was terminated by NBC News on Wednesday after the company received a complaint of sexual harassment against him. But that's not the first time the longtime "Today" host found himself in hot water.