Roy Moore's lawyer just went on MSNBC. It went very, very badly.
The lawyer for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore disastrously bungled his defense of his client's alleged penchant for pursuing teenage girls during an interview on MSNBC on Wednesday.
Moore has defended himself against the allegations by claiming that he doesn't "remember ever dating any girl without the permission of her mother." Speaking to Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle, the hosts of Velshi & Ruhle, Moore's attorney Trenton Garmon abruptly cited Velshi's "background" to answer a question about why Moore would ask permission from girl's mothers if they weren't underage.
"Culturally speaking, I would say there's differences," Garmon said. "I looked up Ali's background there, and wow, that's awesome that you have got such a diverse background. Really cool to read through that."
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A stunned Ruhle interrupted: "What does Ali's background have to do with dating a 14-year-old?"
"In other countries, there's arrangement through parents for what we would refer to as consensual marriage," Garmon said — but not before Ruhle interrupted him again.
"Ali's from Canada," she said. "Ali's from Canada." Watch below. Jeva Lange
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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