Kellyanne Conway on Monday lashes out at Roy Moore’s opponent, Democrat Doug Jones, as a “doctrinaire liberal." | Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Conway: No plans for Trump to campaign for Moore

Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said Monday that President Donald Trump has no plans to campaign for Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama who has been accused of sexually assaulting young girls.

But Conway nonetheless said the White House wants “the votes in the Senate” to pass the president’s promised tax cuts and reforms, lashing out at Moore’s opponent, Democrat Doug Jones, as a “doctrinaire liberal” who will vote against Trump’s policies.


“Doug Jones in Alabama, folks, don't be fooled. He will be a vote against tax cuts. He is weak on crime. Weak on borders. He is strong on raising your taxes. He is terrible for property owners,” Conway told Fox News’s “Fox & Friends.” “Doug Jones is a doctrinaire liberal, which is why he is not saying anything and why the media are trying to boost him.”

Accusations against Moore surfaced earlier this month when The Washington Post published the account of a woman who said the Senate candidate had initiated a sexual encounter with her when she was 14 and he was in his 30s. Other women were included in the same Post story accusing Moore of dating them when they were high school-aged.

The Post report was followed days later by a news conference held by another woman who claimed Moore had groped her and attempted to force her head toward his genitals when she was 16 years old.

Moore has denied all allegations of wrongdoing — although he conceded in an interview that it is possible he has dated teenage girls — and has suggested that the accusations against him are politically motivated. He has strenuously resisted calls from Washington Republicans to end his Senate candidacy.

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The controversy surrounding Moore has dragged down the GOP candidate's poll numbers while Jones’ have spiked, putting the Democrat ahead by two-tenths of a percentage point, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average. The two most recent polls included in that average, conducted by Fox News and Gravis Marketing, put Jones ahead by 8 points and 5 points, respectively, in deep-red Alabama.

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade followed up with Conway on her criticism of Jones, asking the White House adviser if she was suggesting Alabamans vote for Moore. Conway replied that “we want the votes in the senate to get this tax bill through.”

She also accused the media and Democrats of hypocrisy, suggesting that both had been more forgiving of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who last week was accused of pressuring broadcaster Leeann Tweeden into kissing him and groping her while she slept during a 2006 USO tour.

“If the media were really concerned about all of these allegations and if that's what this is truly about, and the Democrats, Al Franken would be on the ash heap of bygone half-funny comedians. He wouldn't be here on Capitol Hill. He still has his job.”

“You know what? I just want everybody to know Doug Jones, nobody ever says his name and pretends he is some kind of conservative Democrat in Alabama,” Conway continued. “And he's not.”