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The Note: In defending Moore, Trump misses #MeToo moment

"THE FACE OF A SOULLESS, INTELLECTUALLY CORRUPT PARTY"

By Rick Klein
MaryAlice Parks

Nov 22, 2017, 5:58 AM ET

PHOTO: President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs the White House Nov. 21, 2017 in Washington.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The TAKE with Rick Klein

In this national #MeToo moment, President Donald Trump is rendering judgment that says, "not us."

It's a major moment that has the president of the United States standing with someone facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct – and against the word of eight separate women who alleged inappropriate contact – because Trump says Roy Moore didn't do anything wrong.

But mainly, and critically, the president is standing with Moore because he is a Republican.

"We don't need a liberal person in there, a Democrat," the president said, leaving in the dust the White House line about letting the voters of Alabama decide, and his own daughter's stand on the side of Moore's accusers.

The deluge of accusers and accusations, of powerful men being exposed and humbled, gave Trump the room he craved to stand by his endorsement of Moore who, according to a Washington Post report, allegedly made sexual advances on a 14-year-old in the late 1970s. A staggering array of such men have been implicated in sexual misconduct in recent weeks, including a 2020 contender, the dean of the House of Representatives, and huge names in media and entertainment.

Trump is drawing his line at Moore. Like Trump himself, Moore is denying every allegation leveled against him. The president's longstanding campaign against so-called "fake news" makes it easier for Trump and Moore to fight any allegations they choose to question.

The fact that this moment is predictable doesn't make it less startling.

The president is seeking to define a new political normal – and no, it's not normal.

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

Continued, links: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/note-defending-moore-trump-misses-metoo-moment/story?id=51319910