Roy Moore Is Back — And Co-Signing Open Letters With Trump Advisers
If you thought you’d heard the last of Judge Roy Moore, you’d be wrong.
The former Alabama Supreme Court Justice whose U.S. Senate bid famously flamed out amidst accusations from multiple women of sexual misconduct isn’t done in politics.
Moore and his wife Kayla are co-signatories on a
letter released Monday by the Conservative Action Project that takes aim at House Democrats’ top messaging bill for this Congress, H.R. 1. The letter’s signatories include a number of top conservative activists — including some in President Trump’s close orbit.
Signatories of the letter include Citizens United head David Bossie, a top outside adviser to President Trump, as well as American Conservative Union head Matt Schlapp, another informal Trump adviser whose wife Mercedes is the White House director of strategic communications.
When asked for comment Schlapp directed TPM to Ian Walters, the American Conservative Union’s spokesman, who said the group had agreed to sign on because it agreed with the letter’s substance.
“We were not involved in the process of accumulating co-signers. Although we stand by our support of the letter, we purposely did not ever endorse Roy Moore in his run for the Senate,” he said in an email. “When ACU signs onto coalition letters like this one, we do so because we agree with the substance of the letter itself. We can’t control who else agrees with our point of view on a letter with multiple signers.”
Bossie didn’t reply to a request for comment.
The rest of the signatory list is a who’s who of conservative activists: Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, Club for Growth head David McIntosh, Susan B. Anthony List head Marjorie Dannenfelser, Americans for Tax Reform head Grover Norquist,Family Research Council head Tony Perkins and former Heritage Foundation head and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint are all on the letter as posted on the group’s website, along with more than 100 others.
Another interesting co-signer: Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), whose career was derailed by an ethics scandal.
The Democrats’ bill focuses heavily on government and election reforms with an aim to expand voting rights, curtain the influence of major donors in the political process, and strengthen government ethics rules. Adam Bozzi of the liberal End Citizens United flagged the letter to TPM, and took a shot at the signatories.
“These groups associating with Roy Moore show there are no limits to the depth they will sink to in order to keep the system rigged. Instead of holding hands they should distance themselves from him,” he said.
A call to Alfred Regnery, the chairman of the Conservative Action Project, wasn’t immediately returned. A dozen other signatories to the letter didn’t answer phone calls or immediately reply to emails asking if they’d known that the Moores would be included on the letter and whether they would have signed on if they did know.
Moore has denied all allegations against him.
