Religious Right radio host and American Family Association official Sandy Rios likened Republican Alabama Senate candidate to Jesus Christ in wake of a new accusation from a woman who says that Moore sexually assaulted her when she was 16 years old.

Rios has been an ardent defender of Moore, asking her male listeners yesterday to consider whether they also have something in their past that they are “ashamed of sexually” before judging Moore. This morning, Rios took a different tone, claiming that the recent accusations and calls for Moore to step down as a Senate candidate were attacks on all Christians.

“His opinions on marriage, the sanctity of marriage, and the rule of law and the Ten Commandments are so unpalatable to the Washington establishment,” Rios said. “They’re revulsed by that.”

“This is a larger issue,” Rios continued. “The focus is on Justice Moore, but really he is a proxy for all of us that are believers in Jesus. Now I’m saying in terms of the hatred and vitriol coming his way and the delight, really, in destroying him if they can. It’s what the darkness always does to the light.”

Rios then pivoted to scripture to defend Moore.

“Remember that Jesus himself was accused, but he was completely innocent,” Rios said. “Remember that they paid guards to come and lie about whether the stone was rolled away and the body was not there. This is not new.”