Alabama news group responds to Moore: ‘These threats will not silence us’

An Alabama news organization on Wednesday responded to a threat of legal action sent by a lawyer representing embattled GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore. 

“We stand behind our past reporting on Roy Moore, and vow to continue to doggedly pursue the truth on behalf of the people of Alabama. These threats will not silence us, and they will not slow us,” said Alabama Media Group Vice President Michelle Holmes in a statement. 

{mosads}

Attorney Trenton Garmon sent a letter to the news outlet on Tuesday, slamming it for its “careless and/or malicious reporting” on Moore and calling for a retraction. The letter warned that it would follow through with a defamation lawsuit if Alabama Media Group didn’t comply. 

The company, which owns a number of newspapers across the state along with the website AL.com, has reported on Moore’s accusers, as well as a number of residents who claimed the Senate candidate was well known in the community for his “predatory” behavior.

The Moore campaign’s threats come as the Alabama Republican finds himself under increasing pressure in the face of several sexual misconduct allegations. The Washington Post reported last week that a woman claimed Moore initiated a sexual encounter with her in 1979, when she was 14 and he was 32, and on Monday another woman came forward to accuse him of sexual assault.

Moore has denied the allegations and threatened to sue The Washington Post in addition to Alabama Media Group. On Tuesday night, he told an audience at a church in Jackson, Alabama, that he was being “harassed” by the media.

“Roy Moore seeks election to the United States Senate. As such a public figure, he merits and can expect intense scrutiny by the electorate and the media on its behalf, including by Alabama Media Group, the state’s largest media outlet,” Holmes said in her statement on Wednesday.

Also on Tuesday, Fox News host Sean Hannity said Moore had “24 hours” to disprove the allegations or be forced to exit the race.