Moore catching heat for pro-slavery views in addition to alleged pedophilia in same week as Congressman Rokita shows his support
INDIANAPOLIS – Congressman Rokita flip-flopped yesterday and expressed support for Roy Moore, the bigoted alleged pedophile running for Senate in Alabama, comparing him to himself and criticizing Republicans who donated to his opponent.
Congressman Rokita had previously only used weak and confusing language to half-heartedly distance himself from Moore after reports emerged of him sexually abusing girls as young as 14. There was no confusion, however, when he utterly reversed himself in an IN Focus interview this week. “I’d be comfortable with Roy Moore… this is a man who’s 100 percent pro-life like myself,” Congressman Rokita said. Instead of criticizing Moore, he instead attacked Republican Senator Jeff Flake for pulling a “stunt” and donating to Doug Jones out of his disgust with Moore.
Being “comfortable” with Moore requires not just being comfortable with his alleged pedophilia but a variety of stunningly hate-filled positions. Reports emerged this week that Moore had declared during a rally that the last time America was “great” was when “we had slavery… our families were strong, our country had a direction.”
Doubling down on the pro-slavery comments, reports emerged yesterday of a 2011 radio interview where Moore said that getting rid of amendments after the 10th—presumably including the anti-slavery 13th, 14th, and 15th—would “eliminate many problems” with the U.S. Government. In the same interview, Moore claimed that the 14th Amendment had “serious problems” with its approval.
Congressman Rokita had already shown plenty of willingness to attach himself to Moore. Not only has Congressman Rokita’s IN Focus flip-flop come after the reports of Moore’s alleged pedophilia, but his campaign released a memo the day after Moore’s Alabama primary win claiming that he’d take up Moore’s mantle in the Indiana Senate race. Moore had already become infamous for his hateful views, including discussing the death penalty for members of the LGBT community and claiming that Muslim Members of Congress like Congressman André Carson should not be sworn in because of their faith.
Congressman Rokita has yet to issue a satisfactory response as to why his campaign would release a memo unless he was “comfortable” linking himself to such a candidate, although he’s now made clear he’s clearly comfortable with doing so.
“Just how much is Roy Moore like Congressman Rokita? Are they alike in that they both believe that America was at its best when slavery was still legal? Are they alike in that they both think the 14th Amendment doesn’t need to exist?,” said Will Baskin-Gerwitz, Senior Media Strategist for the Indiana Democratic Party. “He may be comfortable with Roy Moore, but after deciding to put a hardline bloc of supporters who are out of step with the vast majority of voters before basic decency, he’s shown a craven lack of morality that Hoosiers are decidedly uncomfortable with.”
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