Paul Ryan 'doesn't know' if there's a difference between Roy Moore and Donald Trump


House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told NPR's Steve Inskeep in an interview Friday that allegations of sexual misconduct against Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore were "very, very credible," but said that he didn't know if there was a difference between those allegations and the allegations of sexual assault made against President Trump. "I haven't spent my time reviewing the difference in these two cases," Ryan said.
A number of women have accused Moore of initiating inappropriate sexual relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. After the first women came forward, Ryan called the allegations "disqualifying if true," but when more women followed, he called on Moore to "step aside."
More than 15 allegations of sexual assault and harassment have been made against Trump. In October of 2016, Ryan said he was "sickened" by the Access Hollywood audio recording of Trump bragging about groping women without their consent. "I hope Mr. Trump … works to demonstrate to the country that he has greater respect for women than this clip suggests," Ryan said. He did not, however, call for then-candidate Trump to step aside, and instead offered his tepid support.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
Melania Trump's intervention on Ukraine
In The Spotlight The first lady has been linked to the president's u-turn on sending arms to Kyiv
-
The Retrievals, series two: 'essential listening'
The Week Recommends The second instalment of this hard-hitting podcast delves into the 'appallingly common injustice' of women having C-sections without pain relief
-
Cool off at the best saltwater pools in the UK
The Week Recommends From 1930s Art Deco lidos to 'magical' tidal pools, these sheltered spots offer a safer alternative to sea swimming
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled