New accuser steps forward in Roy Moore case
A new accuser of Republican senate candidate Roy Moore has stepped forward Monday with allegations that Moore assaulted her when she was a minor in Alabama.
Famed women's rights attorney Gloria Allred held a press conference in New York City with the woman, Beverly Young Nelson, to announce the accusations, who "wishes to state what she alleges Roy Moore did to her without her consent" according to a press release from Allred.
Moore has since condemned allegations, first reported in the Washington Post, that he assaulted a 14-year-old girl when he was 32 years old as "fake news."
He also has pledged to sue the Post for its reporting, as several U.S. GOP senators, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are calling for him to drop his candidacy.
See updates from the press conference below:
Accuser says coming forward not political
Nelson said that she and her husband supported Donald Trump for president and that her coming forwad on Monday "has nothing whatsoever to do with Republicans or Democrats."
"It has everything to do with Mr. Moore's sexual assault when I was a teenager," Nelson added.
Nelson said defiantly, "He no longer has any power over me and I no longer live in fear of him."
Accuser details encounters with Moore
Nelson describes her first encounter when she was 15 years old working as a waitress at a local restaurant after school.
She said Moore, DA of Etowah County, was a regular customer where he would often pull the ends of her hair as she passed by and complimented the young girl's looks.
"I did nothing to encourage this behavior," said Nelson, adding "I did not respond to any of Mr. Moore's flirtatious behavior."
She said that at the time of the encounters she had a boyfriend and was "not interested in having a dating or sexual relationship with a man twice my age."
Nelson went on, describing another incident in which Moore signed a school yearbook of hers when she was 16.
"He wrote in my yearbook as follows: 'To a sweeter more beautiful girl, I could not say Merry Christmas, Christmas, 1977, Love, Roy Moore, Old Hickory House. Roy Moore, DA.'"
She said after the incident, Moore had offered to drive Nelson home after work, during which she alleges he forced himself on Nelson and groped her in a locked car.
"I trusted Mr. Moore because he was district attorney, I thought he was doing something nice to offer to drive me home," said Nelson.
She detailed her fighting off Moore in the car as he squeezed her neck, forcing her head onto his crotch.
She said that Moore eventually gave up, and told her, "You're just a child, I'm the district attorney if you tell anyone about this no one will ever believe you."
Accuser willing to testify before Congress
Allred says that Nelson is "willing to testify under oath" to the statements she provides on Monday against Moore.
Allred called for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a public hearing where Nelson would voluntary appear and testify before lawmakers on the incident.
Accuser was "afraid" of Moore
Nelson, according to a statement by Allred, was 15 and 16 years old at the time of the encounters with Moore.
Allred said that Nelson kept her secret for more than 40 years out of fear of Moore and the power he had.
According to Allred's statement, Moore had allegedly told the accuser that "no one would believe her."
Allred calls accuser a "brave woman"
Allred calls Moore's accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, a "very brave woman" from Alabama who alleges when she was a minor she was sexually assaulted by Moore. Allred says that at the time of the assault, Moore was a district attorney in Alabama.
Moore campaign says Allred is leading a "witch hunt"
In a new campaign email to supporters, Moore's senate Campaign Chairman Bill Armistead called out Allred as a "sensationalist leading a witch hunt" against the candidate.
"She is only around to create a spectacle. Allred was the attorney who claims credit for giving us Roe v. Wade which has resulted in the murder of tens of millions of unborn babies," the statement added.
Armistead maintains that Moore is an "innocent man and has never had any sexual misconduct with anyone."
He adds, "This is a witch hunt against a man who has had an impeccable career for over 30 years and has always been known as a man of high character. Let it be understood: the truth will come forward, we will pursue all legal options against these false claims and Judge Moore will be vindicated."
Allred presser to begin momentarily
Attorney Gloria Allred and the latest accuser of Roy Moore are set to begin their press conference momentarily in a New York City conference room.
The accuser alleges the encounter occurred when she was a minor in Alabama at the time.