Caricature by DonkeyHotey flic.kr/p/Ct4G4K https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called on the party’s nominee for Senate in Alabama, Roy Moore, to withdraw from the race if a new report that he pursued teenage girls in his 30’s is confirmed. “If these allegations are true, he must step aside.”

The statement is and understandable and expected statement. But Team McConnell seems to be acting pretty gleeful about the whole thing:

McConnell confidant Josh Holmes to WaPo re: Moore accusations. "If it's true, the Republican Party doesn't have any place for pedophiles and he should step down immediately," leave race. Puts blame on Bannon and others for enabling controversial candidates. — Robert Costa (@costareports) November 9, 2017

Ironically, Alabama law doesn’t permit Moore to “step aside.” His name is on the ballot in the general election even if he doesn’t campaign. But one gets the distinct impression that McConnell would rather have a Democrat in the Senate than Moore.