Brooks: Moore Accusations ‘The Ultimate Test of Conscience’ – Democracy ‘What’s Ultimately at Stake’

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks stated he doesn’t think Alabama Republican Senate nominee Judge Roy Moore can be seated and characterized the controversy around him as a conscience test where democracy is at stake.

Brooks said, “I don’t think he can be seated. … And this, it should be said first, is a very credible, well-sourced story. The people were not — did not come out of the woodwork. The women who are the accusers were pulled out and interviewed and finally consented to give their stories. So, it seems to be quite a credible story. And what’s disgusting is not only his behavior, alleged behavior, in those incidents, but the actual behavior of a lot of Republicans in Alabama these days, who are either casting it off as no big deal, or giving the excuse, well, in the Bible, Joseph and Mary had a relationship, and Mary was a teenager. One doesn’t even know where to begin [with] that kind of excuse. And so, suddenly, this of sort of stuff is tolerated because our party has to win and beat the other party. And so, this is the ultimate test of conscience for the Republican Party. Most of the Washington Republican Party — Republicans are passing that test, but, in Alabama, maybe not, and maybe they can keep him in the race.”

He later added, “This is a predicate for what — when — if Bob Mueller comes with charges to Donald Trump, he’s going to say, ‘Fake news, fake news, fake news.’ And that’s more or less what’s — a lot of people in the Trumpian movement are doing. No fact is fact. A fact they don’t like is just fake news. And if the Washington Post, with a very well-sourced story, can’t be believed and can be just dismissed as fake news, then everything can be dismissed as fake news, and we’ve lost all sense of reality, basically. And so, I think the party not only to behavior about harassment has to show some spine, but on the basic respect for truth. If we can’t have some basic respect for evidence, we really do not have a democracy. And that’s what’s ultimately at stake here.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett