Alabama robocall claims to be Post reporter asking for Roy Moore information
At least one person in the Montgomery, Alabama area reports receiving a robocall pretending to be a Washington Post reporter seeking damaging information about Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, CBS affiliate WKRG reports.
"Hi, this is Bernie Bernstein," the robocall begins, according to one individual, Pastor Al Moore in Creola, who received the message in a voicemail. "I'm a reporter for the Washington Post calling to find out if anyone at this address is a female between the ages of 54 to 57 years old willing to make damaging remarks about candidate Roy Moore for a reward of between $5,000 and $7,000 dollars. We will not be fully investigating these claims however we will make a written report. I can be reached by email at albernstein@washingtonpost.com, thank you."
Al Moore says he responded to the provided email address, but it was unable to be delivered.
Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron said the robocall is from someone "falsely claiming" to be from the newspaper.
"The call's description of our reporting methods bears no relationship to reality. We are shocked and appalled that anyone would stoop to this level to discredit real journalism."
The Washington Post reported last week that four women accused Moore of pursuing them when they were teens and he was in his 30s, including one who said he initatied a sexual encounter when she was 14. Since then, another woman has come forward and alleged that Moore sexually touched her when she was 16 years old.
John Rogers with the Roy Moore campaign told WKRG it's the first he's heard of this type of robocall.
Moore's opponent, Doug Jones, has released a 30-second ad in which voters, some of whom say they're Republicans, say they are voting for Jones after these accusations.
Since the accusations came out against Moore, the Republican National Committee has pulled out of a joint fundraising agreement with his campaign. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said they could consider expelling Moore if he is elected.