Friday on CNN’s “New Day,” Birmingham, AL morning drive talk show co-host Matt Murphy of Talk 99.5’s “Matt and Aunie Show” warned CNN’s Chris Cuomo Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Doug Jones and his allies risked “overplaying” their hand with the controversy surrounding Jones’ GOP opponent Roy Moore for sexual misconduct allegations dating back decades.
Murphy, joined by his show’s co-host Andrea Lindenberg, discussed a TV spot put out by Jones’ campaign naming Moore’s accusers. Lindenberg told Cuomo she was surprised the Jones campaign had come out with an ad to that effect sooner.
Partial transcript as follows:
CUOMO: Andrea, what’s your take on it?
LINDENBERG: I think it was powerful in the fact that Doug Jones didn’t have to say a word. They just rolled those faces and then played the music under it with those words. Again though Chris, you have to understand there is a group here that feels there is no way Roy Moore is guilty. And they actually go so far as calling those women liars. They believe that there is more half-truth than truth in that. I was surprised that Doug Jones didn’t come out with that ad sooner, to be honest with you.
MURPHY: I would say, Chris, that there’s a little bit of a danger in overplaying your hand. Doug Jones is in this race obviously. It’s as tight as can be at this point. And if you overplay that hand to a certain degree, including Leigh Corfman along with women who merely say they dated Roy Moore, while we might find that disturbing in modern times, nothing illegal about that. I think there is a danger here for Alabamians who are paying very close attention to what some of these accusers are saying.
CUOMO: What is your belief at this point, Matt? Do you believe the women are telling the truth?
MURPHY: I believe Leigh Corfman. I believe her memory is what it is. I don’t know what happened. I don’t think we will ever know.
CUOMO: What does that mean? Do you believe she believes what she says?
MURPHY: I don’t believe that Leigh Corfman is lying for the purposes of harming Roy Moore. I do believe she believes her memory is serving her in terms of what happened so many years ago. I think there’s a lot of question about Beverly Nelson. I think a lot of are questioning why she is choosing not to turn over that yearbook if that is the one singular piece of evidence we have that she had a relationship, some sort of relationship with Roy Moore.
CUOMO: Andrea, are you surprised that you are hearing people say, even people who describe themselves as a Christian voter that even if he did this, I’m still voting for him.
LINDENBERG: I am, and I’m not, Chris. And I know that the country has a hard time of understanding what we’re doing here in the state of Alabama. But, when you bring religion into play, you have a candidate who has been outspoken on abortion — that would be the Democrat Doug Jones. And Roy Moore is a man who says he didn’t do it. You have accusers. But he hasn’t said I did it other than the word, he said, she said, she said. I think people still want a Republican in that seat. If it comes to pass that he is guilty of this and somehow that is proven, that he will be dealt with.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.