
A Republican official said he would believe Russian leader Vladimir Putin over four women accusing Alabama Republican nominee Roy Moore of sexual misconduct.

The serious allegations of child sexual abuse against GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore are no big deal for Paul Reynolds, the Alabama representative to the Republican National Committee.

Instead of being revolted that his party's nominee may have abused multiple children, Reynolds instead cast doubt on the report of the violations, despite the confirmation the Washington Post received from 30 sources for its story.

In an interview with The Hill, Reynolds said, "My gosh, it's The Washington Post. If I’ve got a choice of putting my welfare into the hands of Putin or The Washington Post, Putin wins every time."


He added, "This is going to make Roy Moore supporters step up to the plate and give more, work more and pray more."

The comment echoes jaw-dropping defenses offered by other Alabama Republicans.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said, "People make things up all the time. Do I think it’s possible they made this up? I do."

Marion County GOP chairman David Hall said, "It was 40 years ago. I really don’t see the relevance of it."

Bibb County Republican chairman Jerry Pow said, "I would vote for Judge Moore because I wouldn’t want to vote for [Democratic candidate] Doug [Jones]."

Republicans have a problem on their hands that extends far beyond a race for an open Senate seat. They are now on record defending pedophilia, or at best calling reporting on it into question, so that they can defend their party's grip on power.

They have so invested themselves in a disinformation campaign to label anything they disagree with as a product of "the liberal media" and as "fake news" that they are instantly dismissive of even the most serious issues that could possibly emerge.

The conspiracy theorizing and zeal for power over everything are symptoms of moral decay at the heart of the right, and the rot is touching everything in the world of Republicans.