But a strange thing happened. Trump remained defiant and refused to withdraw. Some of the Republicans who had indignantly condemned him slunk back to support him, and on Election Day Trump shocked the nation by winning. Now Republican officeholders who had condemned him not only had a president-elect whose morals they disdained; they had to deal with him as president of the United States.

Today they face a similar dilemma: Condemn Moore? Or assume that in a post-Trump world he could well survive, and so keep quiet lest they alienate a future congressional colleague?

In the immediate wake of the Moore allegations, the predominant Republican reaction has to been to offer a conditional condemnation—if the allegations are true, then Moore must resign. That’s the language that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell used, and many of his colleagues followed suit. Senator John McCain is a notable outlier, demanding that Moore step down immediately.

Many Republicans will likely try to keep a low profile and wait to see what happens. But others are taking a different stand. Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler told the Montgomery Advertiser, “Even if you accept The Washington Post’s report as being completely true, it’s much ado about very little.” That’s a pretty shocking thing to say about what could amount to felony child sexual abuse, and all the more so because Moore has positioned himself as a moral crusader. Breitbart’s Joel Pollak appeared on TV, downplaying the allegations, especially from the other women. Several other Alabama GOP officials told Daniel Dale the allegations didn’t change their support for Moore. Another told Talking Points Memo that accuser Leigh Corfman should take a lie-detector test.

These “if true” statements are in a way reasonable: No one would ask an innocent man to step down after a false accusation. Yet it’s unclear what proof they would accept. Moore is unlikely to confirm the allegations. (A campaign statement called them “baseless” but did not specifically deny any of the accounts in the Post story.) The women in question all spoke to the newspaper on the record, with their names attached, and reporters were able to confirm many details based on court records and interviews with people who were told about the events at the time. The women’s accounts are consistent with each other. It’s hard to imagine what further evidence would emerge that would be strong enough to pass this test.

Trump and Moore share certain characteristics. Both are outsiders, widely disliked by party leadership before their runs. GOP leaders lined up against Moore during the Senate primary, but despite the backing of Trump and McConnell, among others, Moore defeated Luther Strange, the interim senator. Moore had earned the disdain of Republicans for his outlandish statements and broadsides against McConnell. He has twice been removed as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court after defying federal courts.