The U.S. Attorney's Office in Birmingham wants the public to know they are not - nor would they ever - pursue defamation cases against the women who have accused Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct.

Jay Town, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, issued a brief statement today that he says is in response to media reports and inquiries regarding assertions that his office has "verified defamation cases" or has "confirmed any type of federal investigation against Alabama citizens accusing a candidate for U.S. Senate of certain behaviors."

"These assertions are patently absurd," Town stated. "My office has not received, nor would we have the legal basis to pursue, any such defamation cases."

In the past week, Moore has been accused by six women of a range of behaviors that include sexual misconduct with a woman when she was 14, and sexual assault of another when she was 16.

Moore has threatened to sue The Washington Post, which first reported on allegations by four women, and AL.com for its reporting on the claims.

Town's statement was issued in the wake of reports by Blake Usry that he had received texts informing him that he had been sued for defamation, The Washington Post reported Wednesday night. Usry had told AL.com that he knew girls Moore tried to flirt with.

"I just thought, here they go, trying to intimidate me," Usry told The Post. "It could be a religious zealot, some right-wing nut, someone from Roy Moore's campaign, I don't know. It doesn't intimidate me but it's caused me misery all day long."

One text claimed Town, "has verified defamation cases" against Usry and others quoted in news articles, The Post story states.