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Rick Scott on Roy Moore: ‘If the allegations are true, he has to get out’

Scott compared the Moore scandal with the harassment allegations against Sen. Jack Latvala and lawmakers in other states.
 
File photo of Gov. Rick Scott at a press gaggle. [Twitter]
File photo of Gov. Rick Scott at a press gaggle. [Twitter]
Published Nov. 14, 2017

From our friends at the News Service of Florida: 

Gov. Rick Scott called allegations that Sen. Jack Latvala had groped women and made unwelcome remarks about their bodies "disgusting."

On Tuesday, the governor used that same description when asked about Alabama GOP senate candidate Roy Moore, but this time he softened it with a qualifier.

Moore, the firebrand who was twice ousted from Alabama's highest court, has been accused by five women of sexual misconduct, including one who said that Moore groped her in a locked car when she was 16 and another.

Moore has denied the allegations, and threatened to sue.

At a press conference in Jacksonville after announcing his budget proposal this morning, a reporter asked Scott if Moore should step aside from the Senate race.

"Whether it's Roy Moore or what you read about the media reports from California or D.C. or Tallahassee, it's disgusting. So, if any of those allegations are true, he ought to resign," Scott said.

The governor was then asked if a different threshold exists regarding predatory behavior with minors.

"I think whether it's minors, whether it's women, anybody. I mean, let's think about it. We all have children. We have nieces and nephews. I have daughters. Now I have grandsons. I expect people to be treated with respect. That's what you always expect. So, if the allegations are true, he has to get out," Scott said.

Other Republicans have been more pointed about wanting Moore, a former prosecutor, to get out of the race.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush weighed in during an appearance on CNBC this week.