The wife of Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore wants you to know that the former judge is not an anti-semite. On Monday night, she told supporters at an election-eve rally in Midland City, the proof is that the Moores know plenty of Jewish people.
“Fake news would tell you that we don’t care for Jews. But I’ll tell you all this because I see you all, I just want to set the record straight while they’re here: One of our attorneys is a Jew,” Kayla Moore said. “We have very close friends who are Jewish.”
Roy Moore sparked much criticism a week ago when, during an appearance on American Family Radio, he said prominent Democratic donor George Soros is “pushing an agenda. His agenda is sexual in nature. His agenda is liberal and not what Americans need. It’s not our American culture. Soros comes from another world I don’t identify with. I wish I could face him directly and I’d tell him the same thing that no matter how much money he’s got, he’s still going to the same place that people who don’t recognize God and morality and accept his salvation are going. And that’s not a good place.”
Moore’s comments sparked calls for retraction and apology. However, through a spokesman, Moore denied any anti-semitic intent. “Judge Moore did not utter any anti-semitic comments,” said Moore’s campaign strategist Brett Doster. “He uttered anti-George Soros comments, and for that, there is no need for any apology.”
Suffice to say, reaction to Mrs. Moore’s comments was mixed, to put it mildly. Here’s a sample.
But the comments from Moore’s wife weren’t the strangest to come from the Monday night rally. That distinction goes to Bill Sailing, a supporter who says he served with Moore in the Vietnam War.
Moore is currently in a tight race for the senate seat vacated by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, largely because in early November, the Alabama Republican was accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, including girls as young as 14. Moore has consistently denied the accusations, and at Monday night’s rally, Sailing appeared to back the credibility of Moore’s denial with a story about the time he and Moore accidentally visited a brothel that offered child prostitutes.
Sailing says he and Moore were invited by a third, unnamed man, to visit a private club at some point during their tour in Vietnam. But when they went into the club they discovered it was a brothel. “There were certainly pretty girls. And they were girls. They were young. Some were very young,” Sailing said. However, Moore was shocked by what he saw and according to Sailing, said “We shouldn’t be here, I’m leaving.”
Timeline of Fox Sexual Harassment and Other Scandals, From Roger Ailes to Bill O'Reilly (Photos)
The sudden ousting of Fox Sports President Jamie Horowitz and the suspension of Fox Business Host Charles Payne this week are the latest signs of a sea shift in the Murdoch-run entertainment giant in its response to allegations of sexual harassment and other questionable behavior by executives and on-air talent.
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July 6, 2016: Gretchen Carlson files lawsuit against Roger Ailes Former “Fox & Friends” anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes, who denied her claims.
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July 9, 2016: Six other women claim Ailes harassed them Former Republican National Committee field adviser Kellie Boyle and model Marsha Callahan were among the six women who accused Ailes of previous harassment. Ailes denied the claims.
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July 19, 2016: Megyn Kelly says she was sexually harassed by Ailes Amid an external law firm’s investigation into the multiple claims against Ailes, then primetime host Megyn Kelly told investigators that she had been harassed by Ailes years ago. Kelly wrote in her memoir about talking to investigators about the allegations.
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July 21, 2016: Ailes resigns Fox News announced that Ailes had resigned as network chairman after two decades of dominating cable news, walking away with a $40 million severance package.
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Jan. 10, 2017: Bill O’Reilly settlement comes to light News surfaced that the “O’Reilly Factor” host had previously settled with Juliet Huddy, a Fox News employee who claimed he tried to derail her career after she rebuffed his romantic advances.
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March 8, 2017: Fox News settles with Tamara N. Holder Fox News paid former on-air contributor Tamara N. Holder more than $2.5 million following allegations that Fox News Latino vice president Francisco Cortes tried to coerce her into performing oral sex on him.
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March 24, 2017: Fox News comptroller Judy Slater sacked Fox News has fired longtime comptroller Judy Slater after an internal investigation concluded she had engaged in a pattern of racist comments and behavior; several of the employees later filed lawsuits against the network over the incidents.
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April 1, 2017: Claims against O’Reilly settled for $13 million A New York Times investigation found that O’Reilly and Fox News had paid $13 million in total to five women who had worked or appeared on “O’Reilly Factor” over the years and made claims of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior.
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April 3, 2017: Another lawsuit against Ailes and Fox News Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky filed a lawsuit accusing Ailes of sexually harassing her. She also alleged that Fox News co-president Bill Shine retaliated against her for making the claims. Ailes denied the allegations, and Shine declined to comment.
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April 19, 2017: Fox News cuts ties with O’Reilly Fox News announced that O’Reilly would not return to the network following its external investigation into claims of sexual harassment.
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April 21, 2017: Debbie Schlussel claims Sean Hannity invited her to his hotel Former Fox News guest Debbie Schlussel claimed that primetime host Sean Hannity had once invited her back to his hotel after an event they attended, and that she was never invited back to Hannity's show after she rebuffed his advances. The host denied the claims. Schlussel later clarified that she did not consider the encounter to constitute sexual harassment. "I thought he was weird and creepy," she told LawNewz.
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April 24, 2017: Andrea Tarantos files her own lawsuit Andrea Tantaros, a former host of the Fox show “The Five,” filed a new lawsuit against Ailes, Shine and other network executives, claiming that an extensive online harassment campaign had been waged against her. Fox News sought arbitration and called Tantaros “not a victim” but “an opportunist.”
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May 1, 2017: Bill Shine resigns Following Roginsky and Tarantos’ lawsuits, Fox News announced that Shine was exiting the network.
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May 19, 2017: Bob Beckel fired at Fox News Fox News fired “The Five” co-host Bob Beckel after he was accused of making an insensitive remark to an African-American employee. Fox News human resources took less than 48 hours to investigate the incident and recommend dismissal, a network executive told TheWrap.
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June 19, 2017: Investigation by the state of New York The New York State Division on Human Rights launched an investigation into Fox News, over her sexual harassment claims by former “O’Reilly Factor” guest commentator Wendy Walsh against O’Reilly, Walsh’s attorney Lisa Bloom said. O’Reilly has denied Walsh’s claims.
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July 3, 2017: Fox Sports fires Jamie Horowtiz Jamie Horowitz was abruptly ousted from his position as president of Fox Sports National Networks amid allegations of sexual harassment against Horowitz, an individual familiar with the matter told the New York Times. Horowitz’s attorney denied any misconduct.
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July 6, 2017: Fox Business suspends Charles Payne Charles Payne, the host of Fox Business’ “Making Money,” was suspended by the network due to an investigation over a three-year relationship with a married political analyst who appeared as a guest on Fox Business and Fox News, the Los Angeles Times reported. Payne denied allegations of sexual harassment, calling them an “ugly lie.”
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Here’s everything you need to know about accusations that the company has faced so far
The sudden ousting of Fox Sports President Jamie Horowitz and the suspension of Fox Business Host Charles Payne this week are the latest signs of a sea shift in the Murdoch-run entertainment giant in its response to allegations of sexual harassment and other questionable behavior by executives and on-air talent.