White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders bristled Tuesday at suggestions that President Donald Trump was putting party politics over morality by endorsing Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore amid sexual assault allegations by several women.
"Look, as I said, we find the allegations to be troubling," she told reporters at the daily briefing. "We aren't going to be the ones who determine that process.
"That's for the people of Alabama to determine," she said. "He does want people that support his agenda.
"He's not going to obviously support a Democrat.
"If that's our standard, then we need to look at a number of members of Congress that have allegations brought against them that are still in office."
Trump tweeted to Alabama voters Monday that "we need" Moore in the Senate over Democratic challenger Doug Jones, whom he slammed as a "puppet" for leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and California Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Moore, 70, a former Alabama Supreme Court judge, has been dogged by sexual assault allegations that women said were committed when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s.
Recent polls show Moore leading Jones by six points among likely voters.
Sanders told reporters Trump stood by his original position — that Moore should quit the race if the allegations are true — and "he didn't say they were lying" of his accusers.
"If true, he should step aside," she said. "But we don't have a way to validate that.
"That's something from the people the Alabama to decide. We've said that.
"Ultimately, it comes down to the people of Alabama to make that decision.
"The president's position hasn't changed. He still finds them concerning," Sanders said of the accusations.
"But, as we have also said, the president feels that he would rather have a person that supports his agenda versus somebody who opposes his agenda every step of the way.
"Until the rest of that process plays out, you have a choice between two individuals — and the president has chosen to support Moore."
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