Mike Pence calls accusations against Roy Moore 'very disturbing'

Mike Pence.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Vice President Mike Pence has responded to the Washington Post report that Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore, while in his 30s, pursued four teenage girls and initiated sexual contact with one of them when she was just 14.

"The vice president found the allegations in the story disturbing and believes, if true, this would disqualify anyone from serving in office," Alyssa Farah, Pence's press secretary, said in a statement to CBS News on Thursday night. President Trump is in Asia and has not yet responded, making Pence the highest U.S. official to comment on the report.

Other high-profile Republicans have called on Moore to drop out of the Senate race, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who tweeted: "The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying. He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of." Moore is running against Democrat Doug Jones in a December special election.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.