Sean Hannity backs off after giving Roy Moore an ultimatum


On Tuesday night, Fox News host Sean Hannity gave Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore 24 hours to clear up the allegations of sexual misconduct against him from women who say he targeted them when they were teenagers. On Wednesday night, he was back to talking about the Clintons.
Hannity dedicated a good chunk of his program to accusations of sexual harassment and assault against former President Bill Clinton, but he did give Moore a brief mention, telling Alabama voters it's up to them to make an "informed decision" at the polls. Over the last week, several women have told The Washington Post and AL.com that when Moore was in his early 30s and they were in their teens, he made unwanted sexual advances on them or tried to pursue relationships. Hannity interviewed Moore last week about the first accusations, and on Wednesday night, Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett said it didn't go well for Moore, calling his remarks "incriminating, because he contradicted himself three times."
In turn, Hannity gave himself a pat on the back for not making a rush to judgment, and declared that Moore, who wrote an open letter to Hannity, answered all of his questions. In his letter, Moore wrote he's "suffering the same treatment other Republicans have had to endure," and bragged about the different public offices he has held and the fact he's been married 33 years to his wife. Moore tried to discredit accuser Beverly Young Nelson, saying he was assigned to her divorce case in 1999 and that "apparently caused her no distress," and said the yearbook inscription she says was from him couldn't be because the handwriting was inconsistent. "We are in the process of investigating these false allegations to determine their origin and motivation," he said.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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