President Trump attacks Roy Moore's opponent: 'Jones would be a disaster'

Jessica Estepa | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump calls Roy Moore's opponent a 'Schumer-Pelosi' puppet President Trump took to twitter Sunday, bashing Democratic Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones. For more on the story here is Zachary Devita.

President Trump on Sunday doubled down on his insistence that a Democrat shouldn't win Alabama's Senate seat, once again appearing to back controversial Republican Roy Moore.

"The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is WEAK on Crime, WEAK on the Border, Bad for our Military and our great Vets, Bad for our 2nd Amendment, AND WANTS TO RAISES TAXES TO THE SKY," Trump tweeted. Doug "Jones would be a disaster!"

The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is WEAK on Crime, WEAK on the Border, Bad for our Military and our great Vets, Bad for our 2nd Amendment, AND WANTS TO RAISES TAXES TO THE SKY. Jones would be a disaster! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2017

Trump, who is in Mar-a-Lago for the weekend, hasn't outright endorsed Moore, the Alabama Republican who has been accused of sexually assaulting and harassing teenage girls while he was in his 30s.

As several Republican senators continue to call for Moore to step aside, Trump's tweets highlight the political challenge facing the chamber if the seat goes to a Democrat. The GOP-controlled Senate, with just 52 Republicans, has struggled to pass a health care overhaul, tax reform, and other key parts of its legislative agenda.

In another tweet, the president noted his endorsement of Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to the seat in February, in the Republican primary. (Per Real Clear Politics, Moore always held the advantage going into the primary.)

I endorsed Luther Strange in the Alabama Primary. He shot way up in the polls but it wasn’t enough. Can’t let Schumer/Pelosi win this race. Liberal Jones would be BAD! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2017

Trump's comments may become a repeated refrain in the final weeks of the race to fill the Senate seat once occupied by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Before he left Washington for Thanksgiving weekend, the president also said he didn't want another Democrat in the Senate and stressed that Moore has denied the sexual misconduct allegations.

More: President Trump appears to back Roy Moore: 'We don't need a liberal' in Alabama Senate seat

"Roy Moore denies it," he said last week. "That's all I can say."

Trump, who has also been accused of sexual misconduct, did not say whether he believed Moore himself.

In previous statements, the White House has said that the president expected Moore to step aside of the allegations were true and that Alabama voters should decide who should win the election for themselves. The special election takes place Dec. 12.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said Sunday that voters would have to serve as "judge and jury" for Moore, The Hill reported. "Roy Moore cannot be replaced on the ballot," she said during a radio interview with John Catsimatidis. "He is the candidate. The Alabama (Republican) Party has stood by that. Now the Alabama voters are going to have to be the judge and jury on this."

Meanwhile, Republican senators on Sunday continued their calls for Moore to step aside — and some even suggested Trump try to convince the Alabama Republican to do so.

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota said on Fox News Sunday that the president himself should ask Moore to end his campaign.

"Ultimately, the decision's up to the people of Alabama, but it strikes me at least that it would be in their best interest and in the country's best interest, and certainly the best interest of our agenda, if the president would use his influence to try to get Roy Moore to step aside," Thune said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said on CNN's State of the Union that a Moore win would mean the GOP inherited the candidate's baggage.

"It becomes a story every day about whether or not you believe the women or Roy Moore," Graham said. "Should he stay in the Senate? Should he be expelled? ... What I would tell President Trump: If you think winning with Roy Moore is going to be easy for the Republican Party, you're mistaken."

Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio said on NBC's Meet The Press that he's never endorsed Moore, and if he were voting in the election, he wouldn't back the candidate. "I'd probably vote for a Republican, but it wouldn't be Roy Moore," he said.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said on ABC's This Week that he believed the best thing Moore could do was "move on."

"It is time for us to turn the page because it is not about partisan politics," Scott said. "It is not about electing Republicans versus Democrats. This is about the character of our country. I want to be on the side of right when history writes the story."

Contributing: David Jackson

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