Roy Moore Blames ‘The Liberals,’ Socialists, The LGBTQ Communities for the Allegations Against Him

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Two men, one of whom is Jake Byrd from the ABC late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” were kicked out during the church meeting for shouting during the speaking event.

Roy Moore, the embattled Republican Senate candidate in Alabama, on Wednesday revived the anti-gay rhetoric that first thrust him into the spotlight years ago by accusing LGBT people and others of coordinating a “conspiracy” to discredit him and undermine his campaign.

Speaking at a south Alabama church on Wednesday, Moore suggested that this purported conspiracy is behind the sexual misconduct allegations that have been leveled against him in recent weeks. Several women have accused Moore of sexual harassment and assault, many of whom have said he pursued them when they were teenagers. One woman, Leigh Corfman, claims Moore engaged her in a sexual encounter when she was 14 and he was 32.

Moore, a former judge, reiterated his denial of these allegations on Wednesday, telling attendees at Magnolia Springs Baptist Church that he didn’t know these women and that their claims were the product of “dirty politics.”

Moore began his speech by listing the conspirators he said are eager to discredit him.

“Who are they? The liberals. They don’t want conservative values,” Moore said from the church’s pulpit. “They are the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender … who want to change our culture. They are socialists who want to change our way of life, putting man above God … They are the Washington establishment. They want to keep everything the same so they don’t lose their position, power and prestige.”

Moore, who opposes transgender rights and has said repeatedly that “homosexual conduct” should be illegal, added that he believes people angered by his prosecution of drug cases as a district attorney are at “the heart of this conspiracy” against him.