Lawsuit again Roy Moore continues, judge refuses to dismiss
A Montgomery County judge has rejected former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore’s request to have a defamation lawsuit against him thrown out. The judge also denied a request to move the suit to Etowah County. Montgomery County Circuit Judge Roman Shaul denied Moore’s request to dismiss the suit filed by Leigh Corfman. Corfman was one of the three women named in The Washington Post’s bombshell report back in November, during Alabama’s U.S. Senate special election, who all claimed Moore sexually pursued them when he was in his 30s and they were in their teens. Moore vehemently denied Corfman’s allegations of abuse, calling them “politically motivated,” “completely false” and “malicious.” Corfman asserted those words are defamatory in the suit she filed in January. Moore’s attorney contends Moore had a First Amendment right to defend himself. Corfman is not seeking financial compensation, only legal fees, and is looking for Moore to publicly apologize for what he has said about her. She is also seeking a court-enforced ban on Moore or his campaign that would prohibit him from allegedly criticizing her in the future. Judge Shaul also scheduled a formal court hearing in the case for Thursday, April 12.
Steve Bannon blames GOP for Roy Moore’s defeat in Alabama
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is blaming the Republican establishment for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore’s defeat, saying GOP leaders pushed pedophilia accusations against him. Bannon says Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was too quick to back away from Moore, who faced charges of sexually abusing underage girls. Moore, whom Bannon supported, lost in December to Doug Jones, giving Democrats a U.S. Senate seat from Alabama for the first time in a generation. Bannon gave a wide-ranging interview Thursday at the Financial Times’ “Future of News” event. The conservative provocateur defended his recent admiring comments about Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, saying the fascist was “evil” but “fascinating.” When asked if the world’s institutions needed to be “blown up,” Bannon responded, “A few of them, certainly.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg: ‘significant number’ of fake news attempts in Ala. special election
During an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, said the popular platform worked to shut down “fake news” during Alabama’s contentious special election in December between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones. Zuckerberg explained a number of Macedonian accounts attempted to the influence the outcome of the race. “In last year, in 2017 with the special election in Alabama, we deployed some new (artificial intelligence) tools to identify fake accounts and false news, and we found a significant number of Macedonian accounts that were trying to spread false news, and were able to eliminate those,” Zuckerberg said to The Times. “And that, actually, is something I haven’t talked about publicly before, so you’re the first people I’m telling about that.” Ultimately, Jones bested Moore in the race and went on to become Alabama’s junior U.S. Senator replacing Jeff Sessions who vacated the seat to become the U.S. Attorney General under President Donald Trump. Kayla Moore, Moore’s wife, posted on Facebook Thursday that they did not know about the Macedonian efforts. The were “news to us” she said. “The entire world was watching the race so there’s no telling what went on, but we were simply trying to run an Alabama campaign with the help of conservatives all across the state and the nation,” said Kayla.
Complaint filed against key PAC in Alabama Senate race
A complaint alleging federal campaign finance law violations has been filed against a super PAC that spent heavily to support Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama’s U.S. Senate election, but did not disclose donors until after the election. The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center on Monday filed the complaint against Highway 31 super PAC with the Federal Election Commission. The complaint alleges Highway 31 failed to report donors by using a scheme where the PAC received credit from vendors. Highway 31 spent $4 million in the 2017 Senate election. Many of its spots and mailers focused on accusations against sexual misconduct allegations against Moore. It was disclosed after Jones’ victory that the PAC received much of its money from the Senate Majority Pac, which works to elect Democrats. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Roy Moore pleads for contributions for legal defense fund
Unsuccessful Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore‘s resources have been depleted and he is urging his supporters to contribute to his legal defense fund. In a Facebook post on Thursday, Moore unveiled details about his personal battle with lawyers from Washington D. C. and San Francisco who have hired a firm in Birmingham, Ala. to bring yet another legal action against him and to, in his words, “ensure that he never fights again.” According to AL.com, the lawsuit was filed against Moore by Leigh Corfman, one of the women who accused Moore of sexual misconduct when she was a teenager. Corfman filed a defamation suit against Moore and his campaign, saying Moore disgraced her by saying she was immoral and a liar. Moore says the full legal fees could cost over $100,000, that his current resources have been depleted; he is struggling to make ends meet. In the post, Moore gives several reasons he believes he’s being targeted by these firms. “The liberal media, in association with some who want to destroy our Country do not want my influence in the 2018 elections and are doing everything they can to stop me.” “Gays, lesbians, and transgenders have joined forces with those who believe in abortion, sodomy, and destruction of all that we hold dear. Unless we stand together we will lose our Country.” He goes on to tell his Christian supporters that they, “can no longer afford to remain silent in these ‘perilous’ times.” and that they “must fight, an appeal to the God of Heaven is all that is left us!” Moore ends his post with an appeal to conservatives; saying, “the political Left is filled with men and women whose sole aim in life is to overthrow our God-ordained rights which are guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. It is your responsibility and mine to stand up to this vile encroachment on our rights, and defend that for which the Founding Fathers sacrificed so greatly. Please…help me defeat, once and for all, those who would destroy America in order to usher in their anti-Christian ‘kingdom.’ May the Lord richly bless you as you stand with me in this critical fight!”
DNC lied about how much it spent to defeat Roy Moore
Following Democrat Doug Jones‘ victory in December, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) claimed they aided his campaign tremendously; declaring they spent $1 million dollars of their own money towards defeating Republican Roy Moore. Last year’s heated senate race between now Senator Jones and his opponent, former Alabama Chief Justice, Moore had everyone in Alabama on edge. The race garnered national media attention and even the attention, and endorsement, of President Donald Trump. What a great opportunity for the DNC to show it’s power and wealth. Well, maybe not. Although the committee did contribute aides, organized voter-outreach plans, and campaigned via text, calls, and volunteers, the committee only spent $250,000 of their own money towards the campaign. The cash was used to fund more than two dozen staffers in Alabama who organized outreach to African-American voters. The rest of the $1 million that the DNC claimed actually came from voters and donations that the DNC solicited for Jones campaign. “For the first time in its history, the DNC used its email list for split fundraising to directly raise money for and invest in campaigns across the country in 2017,” Michael Tyler, DNC spokesman told McClatchy. “While the RNC cut blank checks for an accused child molester, we’re proud that tens of thousands of Americans contributed $5 and $10 at a time to fund the Doug Jones campaign’s organizing efforts.” The DNC has filed reports with the Federal Election Commission showing $87,000 and claims they will be able to show another $163,000 when records of their spending are received. The remaining $679,000 they raised through e-mail fundraising will not have to be reported with the FEC since the money never actually passed through the committee. Jones is already working on paying the committee back, at the end of December he sent an e-mail to former Vice-President Joe Biden‘s PAC, American Possibilities asking for donations for democratic candidates in 2018.
Steve Flowers: Doug Jones victory was a perfect storm that cannot be perfectly replicated
As the 2018 state elections begin, let’s take one last look at the 2017 Special Election to fill the remaining three years of Jeff Sessions’ six-year term which, by the way, comes up in two years in 2020. It is assumed by most astute political observers that the winner, Democrat Doug Jones, cannot win election to a full term in 2020, simply because he is a Democrat. I am not ready to write Doug Jones off so quickly. I would contend that Jones would not be a cupcake to take on after two to three years on the job. Doug Jones knows what he is doing. He is a seasoned political veteran that will hit the ground running in Washington. I submit that he will be a far superior senator for Alabama than Roy Moore. The Ten Commandments Judge’s mission in the Senate would be as an obstructionist and the voice of the ultra right wing zealots of not only Alabama but of the nation. This would not do Alabama any good as far as having a senator who is helpful to the state. In addition, his extreme views and statements, along with the allegations thrown at him during the campaign, made him a horrendous caricature nationwide. We would have been the brunt of ridicule on all late night and daytime news shows for three years. Moore had become not only a joke but also a bad image for the state. We would have actually been better off not to have had a second senate seat if Moore was in it. We would have been better served to have only one senator, Richard Shelby. On the other hand, Senator Doug Jones, will strive to be an effective senator in the mold of Sen. Shelby. He will work with Shelby to bring home the bacon. Sen. Shelby knew this and that is why he refused to vote for Moore. However, Sen. Jones will still have very little wiggle room in preparation for 2020. He will organize with Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and all of the very liberal East and West coast senators. He is in the same boat with them on social issues like abortion, immigration, and gay/lesbian and transgender issues. If these issues come to the forefront in the form of Supreme Court nominees, Jones may be caught between a rock and a hard place. If he can avoid these litmus test issues that illuminate the fact that he is a national Democrat from a ruby red Republican state, he could possibly survive, especially if there is a contentious GOP Primary with six or more Republican thoroughbreds wrangling for the opportunity to take Jones out in a 2020 battle royale. This field of proven conservative Republican stalwarts could beat each other up in the primary. Therefore, they arrive at the dance beat up and broke facing Jones who probably has not faced a primary opponent, and is well financed with national Democratic senatorial money, running as an incumbent. The Doug Jones victory was a perfect storm that cannot be perfectly replicated by Democratic gubernatorial aspirants Walt Maddox or Sue Bell Cobb. First of all, the national money will not be available in an Alabama governor’s race, in a year where 33 U.S. Senate races are in play, as it was in last year’s race. We were the only show in the country and you had a polarizing figure to energize the national liberal base. There was also an overwhelming 6-to-1 financial advantage that provided resources to turn out the Democratic base. In addition, probably never again will any party have the opportunity to run against a candidate with a 70 percent negative approval rating, who has no money and runs a modern day 2017 campaign similar to one run in 1954 out of the back of a pickup truck. On the other hand, the Democratic campaign was state of the art. Due to Moore and this being the only senate race in the country, Doug Jones’ campaign was run by the brightest Democratic pollsters and media consultants in the world. They energized millennials and the LGBTQ community to vote in record numbers, along with the amazing unparalleled turnout of African American voters. It was an anomaly and a razor thin victory. However, it shows that it can be done in the “Heart of Dixie.” A Democrat won a statewide race, and a U.S. Senate race at that. It gives credence to a Democratic gubernatorial campaign this year. See you next week. ••• Steve Flowers is Alabama’s premier columnist and commentator, Steve has analyzed Alabama politics for national television audiences on CBS, PBS, ABC and the British Broadcasting Network. Steve has been an up close participant and observer of the Alabama political scene for more than 50 years and is generally considered the ultimate authority on Alabama politics and Alabama political history.
Alabama House votes 67-31 to end special elections
Alabama is poised to an to end special elections when vacancies occur in the state’s two U.S. Senate seats, should a bill that has now cleared the state House garner enough votes in the state Senate. HB17, which was approved by voice vote in the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee the first week of session, found itself on the House floor Tuesday. There, it passed 67-31, along party lines. Sponsored Ozark-Republican State Rep. Steve Clouse, the bill is intended to save taxpayers the cost of another special election should a vacancy occur in the U.S. Senate. If passed by the Legislature, the bill would allow the governor to appoint an temporary replacement to a vacant Senate seat, followed by an election that would coincide with the next general election occurring more than one year after the vacancy occurs. The state holds general elections every two years. While many speculate HB17 was introduced simply because a Democrat, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones bested Republican candidate Roy Moore in December’s special election. Clouse says otherwise. He introduced the bill in the wake of 2017’s controversial scheduling of a special election after former Sen. Jeff Sessions vacated the seat to become U.S. attorney general. According to Clouse, the special election cost the state $11 million. While it’s a certainly a deviation from Alabama’s current procedures, the method isn’t all that uncommon. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 other states use gubernatorial appointments should a vacancy occur. They say the Yellowhammer State is one of only 14 states to rely on a special election to fill a vacancy. HB17 now moves to the state Senate for further consideration.
William J. Canary: The future belongs to the brave
The truth is the Alabama of today is one that our grandparents wouldn’t recognize. For more than two decades, Alabama has been landing one significant economic development project after another, transforming the state into an epicenter for the aerospace, automotive, and defense industries. Companies looking where to locate are attracted to our state’s business-friendly labor policies and focus on workforce development. Alabama’s right-to-work status has been a tremendous advantage, as Alabama is one of only 11 states that has constitutionally protected the right to work. However, the recent U.S. Senate special election and the spotlight it shone on Alabama threatened to bring the advancements of the last 25 years to a screeching halt. The Republican candidate, Roy Moore, with a knack for incendiary comments, made him – and Alabama – fodder for national news and international attention. Alabama U.S. Senator Richard Shelby announced publicly that while not voting for the Democratic candidate, he would be writing in a “distinguished Republican.” Now, supporters of Judge Moore are blaming Senator Shelby – and not their candidate – for the lopsided loss. With financing from an out-of-state investor, Moore supporters are seeking to have Senator Shelby censured by the Alabama Republican Party. The Business Council of Alabama and its leadership will mobilize and energize the business community to oppose all efforts to adopt this negative resolution that works against the business community, the economic well-being of Alabama, and our No. 1 advocate in Washington, D.C. – Senator Richard Shelby. I have publicly urged the Republican Party to adopt a resolution that commends Senator Shelby for his service to Alabama. If you look at the economic development projects in Alabama, there is one constant: Senator Richard Shelby. He deserves better than a fringe element of the GOP attacking him by not telling the truth – seeking revenge for their losing campaign. The recent announcements of Montgomery landing the F-35 Lightning mission and Huntsville gaining the joint Toyota-Mazda facility goes to Senator Shelby and his unwavering courage and leadership to stand his ground for Alabama. In my opinion, without his principled stand, the Toyota-Mazda plant would have gone to North Carolina – especially if Mr. Moore had been elected. Let’s put the past behind us and move on. If we don’t, the business community in Alabama needs to determine the best way to invest its resources with organizations and movements that will move Alabama forward… period, starting today! ••• William J. Canary is the president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama
Talk of a Richard Shelby censure may be a GOP turning point
There’s talk about censuring Sen. Richard Shelby for his refusal to back Roy Moore and his encouragement of Alabamians to write-in candidates in December’s special election. Certainly the debate puts pressure on not only the state of Alabama, but also on the political party from a national level to look at party loyalty oaths and what party membership means. I’ve always said I believe those oaths are disingenuous to what the Republican Party stands for. They’re an attempt to almost enslave or entrap an individual who identifies themselves as a member of the party into giving away their vote. This is contrary to a party that values freedom and individual responsibility. The republican party is no longer full of single issue social or fiscally conservative voters. There are many reasons people identify as republican and the spectrum from libertarian conservatives to far-right conservatives is a big one. While party leaders understandably don’t want many cases of an elected official or party leader doing what Shelby did back in December, the fact is: who someone’s votes for is a matter of conscious and principles. There’s a reason our votes are cast in secrecy. The best the party can hope for is that the candidates we put up on the ballot are ones who share those same values and principles of the party. Moving forward the party needs to evaluate, are we going to maintain this oath? If so, then they have no choice but to censure Shelby. Shelby broke the rules, as the rules existed. What we do, is up to the leaders within the party but inaction or indifference will send a strong signal moving forward that the rules won’t be enforced or will selectively be enforced.
Roy Moore supporters propose censure of Richard Shelby
This week, a small group of GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore backers called for the censure of Alabama’s senior U.S. Senator Richard Shelby. According to Politico, a group of three Moore supporters submitted a resolution to the Alabama Republican Party executive committee arguing that Shelby “publicly encouraged Republicans and all voters to write in a candidate instead of voting for the Republican Candidate Judge Roy Moore,” and that his “public speech was then used by the Democrat Candidate in robocalls to sway voters to not vote for Judge Roy Moore.”. This resolution was proposed after Courageous Conservatives PAC (a Roy Moore group) ran anti-Shelby robocalls last month. “Sen. Richard Shelby stabbed President Trump and conservatives in the back,” one robocall said. “Tell Shelby you’ll never forget his disloyalty to President Trump and the Republican Party for his treasonous actions. Tell Shelby he’s betrayed his trust to Alabamians and he should resign his office. Call now.” A Dallas based investor Christopher Ekstrom financed the anti-shelby robocalls. In an interview with Politico, Ekstrom compared Shelby to Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, both of which are outspoken Trump critics. “We no longer have Bob Corker to kick around, we no longer have Jeff Flake to kick around, but we do have Richard Shelby to kick around up and down the street until he gets out.” said Ekstrom. Shelby publicly stated that he “couldn’t vote for Roy Moore” after the former Alabama Chief Justice was accused of having inappropriate sexual conduct with teenage girls in the 1970s. Sen. Shelby said he wrote in the name of a “distinguished Republican,” despite the warning from the Alabama Republican Party chairwoman that the party’s members should support their nominee. Shelby’s statements have also been used by the winner of the Senate race, Doug Jones, in a robocall urging support for himself over Roy Moore. Evidence of which was included in the censure resolution proposed to the Republican Party’s resolution committee.
Roy Moore accuser Leigh Corfman files defamation lawsuit against him
The woman who said former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore sexually assaulted her when she was 14, filed a defamation lawsuit against Moore and his campaign on Thursday. Leigh Corfman filed the suit in the Montgomery County Circuit Court. In November, The Washington Post published a bombshell report with the accounts of Corfman and three other women who claimed Moore sexually pursued them when he was in his 30s and they were in their teens. Corfman specifically said she was only 14 years old when Moore, then 32, approached her outside a courtroom in Etowah County, Ala. According to the report, he ultimately drove her to his home in the woods,told her she was pretty and kissed her, and then undressed her. Moore has vehemently denied Corfman’s allegations of abuse, calling them “politically motivated,” “completely false” and “malicious.” She asserts those words are defamatory in the suit. Corfman is not seeking financial compensation, only legal fees, and is looking for Moore to publicly apologize for what he has said about her. She is also seeking a court-enforced ban on Moore or his campaign that would prohibit him from allegedly criticizing her in the future. Moore’s campaign representative Brett Doster, responded to the suit by saying, “We look forward to transparently discussing these matters in a court of law.”
