Republican Jeff Flake just wrote a $100 check to Democrat Doug Jones' campaign


Put your money where your mouth is, the challenge goes — and Republican Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) is doing just that. Flake tweeted Tuesday that he was making a personal donation of $100 to Doug Jones, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Alabama:
Jones is fighting to win the Alabama seat against Republican Roy Moore, who stands accused by multiple women of conducting inappropriate sexual relationships with them while they were teenagers and he was a district attorney in his early 30s. One of Moore's accusers says he groped her when she was just 14, while another says he tried to sexually assault her in the parking lot of a restaurant when she was 16.
After the allegations were reported by The Washington Post, the White House and other top Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.) distanced themselves from Moore. But on Monday, President Trump reversed course, calling Moore to offer his endorsement; the Republican National Committee quickly followed suit by reinvesting money and staff into Moore's campaign just weeks after withdrawing 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.
On Monday, Flake, who is not running for re-election, broke from his party colleagues, tweeting, "A Roy Moore victory is no victory for the GOP and the nation." Alabama's special election is Dec. 12, and Real Clear Politics currently shows Moore leading Jones by an average of 1.5 percentage points.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science
-
China's London super-embassy
The Explainer The People's Republic wants to build a massive new embassy in central London, and a lot of people aren't happy about it
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami