NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers: Moore 'Should Step Aside'

The people of Alabama should decide who they want to elect as their next senator, but at the same time, Republican candidate Roy Moore should remove himself from consideration because of the growing number of accusations of sexual abuse being launched against him, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Stivers said Thursday.

"I do believe these women," the Ohio Republican told CNN's "New Day" anchor Chris Cuomo. "I think Roy Moore should step aside."

Stivers said he was at a fundraiser with Moore and other GOP politicians even before the reports surfaced about him, and he'd "subsequently asked for my money back, and that was before these allegations came forward."

On Tuesday, a senior party official told Politico that the Republican National Committee is withdrawing its support for Moore, including pulling out of a joint agreement to raise funds with and is canceling a program for sending canvassers into the field before the special election on Dec. 12. Also, the RNC will no longer transfer any funds to Moore's race, according to the report.

The move is being seen as an attempt to manipulate voters on Moore, said Cuomo, but Stivers said he does believe the people of Alabama should ultimately decide on their vote.

However, he said he hopes Moore will step aside.

Moore's supporters are saying the claims haven't been proven yet, but Stivers said he believes the women who have accused him of various actions dating back to the late 1970s, when he was in his early 30s and they were either teenagers or in their early 20s.

If Moore does win, it will be up to the Senate to determine what action to take next, including whether to vote to expel him, said Stivers.

"I'm not going to tell the U.S. Senate what to do in their chamber, except I am going to tell them to start passing some bills," he told Cuomo. "I'm not going to put pressure on them how to run their chamber. The Senate gets to do what they want in that regard. I hope they stay focused on tax reform that we need for the American economy.

"We will pass the bill in the House. It will get the economy moving. It will help people get better jobs. And it will put some money in the pockets of hardworking taxpayers. I hope the Senate can focus on that and get that done."

Stivers said if Moore was running for a House seat, then he'd probably move to take some action against him.

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