John Thune says Roy Moore will be under "ethics cloud" if elected Tuesday
Sen. John Thune said Friday that it's "unfortunate" that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has resumed its fundraising efforts for GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore despite the slew of sexual misconduct allegations he faces. The South Dakota Republican predicted what he thinks will happen to Moore if he's elected on Tuesday.
"I think the one thing I've said all along is if he comes to Washington, he will immediately be under an ethics cloud, probably an ethics investigation," he said, adding that the Senate Ethics Committee could recommend expulsion or censure.
"It's a huge distraction," he added. Thune said that the simplest, wisest move for Moore is to "step aside."
Reacting to the news that the RNC resumed fundraising for him this week after President Trump formally endorsed Moore, Thune said, "That's unfortunate. I don't condone that."
"There are men across all kinds industries that are learning that there are consequences to bad behavior and I think that's a good thing," he said. "We can't continue to accept the status quo there or anywhere else for that matter."
This comes after Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, announced Thursday that he would resign from Congress after a number of women said that he inappropriately touched them or tried to forcibly kiss them.