House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) said Tuesday that Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore should step out of the race in the wake of mounting accusations of sexual misconduct against him.
Ryan called the allegations against Moore "credible" and said if he cared about the values he claims to, "he should step aside."
The Washington Post reported last week on four women who said Moore pursued relationships with them when they were teenagers. One of them said she was 14 when a 32-year-old Moore initiated a sexual encounter with her.
On Monday, an additional accuser came forward who claimed Moore violently tried to make her perform oral sex on him in a car when she was 16.
Moore has denied the allegations against him and has made no indication he plans to leave the race. In an interview last week with Sean Hannity, he said he did not "generally" date teenagers while in his 30s but did not issue a blanket denial.
Ryan joins a growing list of GOP lawmakers who say Moore should leave the race, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). Other Republicans have dropped their endorsement of Moore, the Steve Bannon-backed candidate who defeated incumbent Sen. Luther Strange (R., Ala.) in the GOP primary in September.
.@SpeakerRyan calls allegations of sexual assault "credible." Says Judge Roy Moore should drop out of race. 'He should step aside." pic.twitter.com/pnHrvZ78sR
— John R Parkinson (@jparkABC) November 14, 2017
Strange was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he became attorney general in the Trump administration. Moore is facing Democrat Doug Jones in an election scheduled for Dec. 12.