GOP Senate campaign arm abandons Roy Moore following sexual allegations

• The chief fundraising committee for Senate Republicans on Friday severed ties with Alabama candidate Roy Moore, following allegations by four women that Moore pursued sexual relationships with them while they were in their teens.
• The allegations were first reported by The Washington Post, and Moore has since come under intense pressure to step aside in the Dec. 12 special election.
• Moore has denied the claims, calling them politically motivated "garbage."

Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, Roy Moore, speaks at a campaign rally on September 25, 2017 in Fairhope, Alabama.

Getty Images

The chief fundraising vehicle for Republican Senate campaigns on Friday severed its ties to Roy Moore, the party's nominee in Alabama's special election next month.

The break with Moore came a day after The Washington Post reported allegations by four women who said Moore had pursued sexual relationships with them when they were teenagers. At the time, Moore was in his early 30s.

According to new paperwork filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is no longer a part of a joint fundraising committee that includes Moore's campaign, the Alabama GOP and the Republican National Committee.

Moore has denied the allegations against him, and his campaign on Thursday said the Post's report, which cited 30 sources, was "garbage," and "the very definition of fake news and intentional defamation."

In Washington, Republican senators responded to the report with shock and dismay, telling reporters that if the claims were true, Moore should exit the race immediately.

Moore's campaign did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment about the NRSC's decision to abandon the race.

As of 2 p.m. ET Friday afternoon, the RNC and the Alabama Republican Party both remained in the joint committee.