President Donald Trump will meet with Republican leaders this week to discuss the sexual misconduct allegations leveled at Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday.
McConnell on Tuesday publicly floated the idea of getting Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take his old Senate seat, as Republicans continue to seek alternatives to Judge Moore.
"The name being most often discussed may not be available, but the Alabamian who would fit that standard would be the attorney general," McConnell told The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council. "He's totally well-known and is extremely popular in Alabama."
"That obviously would be a big move for him and for the president," McConnell said.
McConnell said President Trump is discussing what to do in the Alabama race "in great detail" as he wraps up his Asia trip.
Five women have come forward in the past week to say Moore either had sexual contact or tried to initiate a romantic relationship with them when they were teenagers about 30 years ago.
"We had a chance to discuss this issue," McConnell told reporters Tuesday. "I talked to [White House Chief of Staff] Gen. [John] Kelly about it on Saturday, I talked to the vice president about it [Monday]. "There's no question there's a deep concern here.
"We've looked at all the options. This close to the election, it's a very complicated matter.
"Once the president and his team get back, we'll have further discussions about it."
Trump was flying back to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday after a lengthy trip to Asia. Air Force One stopped in Hawaii on Tuesday morning to refuel before continuing on to Andrews Air Force Base. He is scheduled to land Tuesday evening.
Moore is the Republican candidate in the Alabama special election that will determine who replaces Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who held the seat before joining the Trump administration earlier this year. Many Republicans have called on Moore to step aside.