One of the women accusing Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual assault opened up about the alleged experience Friday morning on “Megyn Kelly Today.”
“I think he wanted to take my power so he could feel powerful,” Tina Johnson told Kelly.
Johnson told AL.com earlier this week that the incident with Moore happened in 1991 as she was visiting his law office with her mother. Johnson’s mother had hired Moore to handle custody paperwork for her daughter’s son as Johnson, then 28, neared divorce.
“It was ongoing flirting,” Johnson described the meeting to Kelly, saying that Moore commented on her looks and asked her on a date. She said the meeting was already difficult for her because she had to rely on her mother to pay for the attorney’s services.
Moore’s behavior made the situation more “uncomfortable,” Johnson said, but “bells went off” when he began asking about her other children, two girls. She said he asked whether her daughters shared her “pretty eyes.”
When the meeting ended, Johnson got up to leave, with her mother ahead of her. Moore then allegedly took the opportunity to grope her rear.
“He just grabbed my behind,” she told Kelly. “I mean, forcefully grabbed it. And I just walked out. I was so ashamed. I thought I did something. I felt the dress I was wearing was inappropriate. It was long, it went to my knees.”
Asked whether she was politically active or had any political motivation for sharing her story now, Johnson said no, “none.” She felt the need to speak up after hearing another Alabama resident defending Moore’s alleged behavior.
“Roy Moore has a lot of Christian-based [supporters],” she said. “When you’re telling me it is OK for you to grope a 14-year-old, there is something wrong.”
Johnson is joined by at least eight other women who have lodged misconduct accusations against Moore ranging from harassment to attempted rape. Four came forward in a damaging Washington Post report published last week, saying that Moore pursued them when they were in their teens and he was in his 30s.
One of those women, Leigh Corfman, said she was just 14 when Moore brought her to his home in a wooded area where he kissed and groped her.
A fifth woman, Beverly Young Nelson, shared a troubling story about Moore during a press conference held by attorney Gloria Allred earlier this week. She said that while she was working as a waitress at age 16, Moore offered to give her a ride home but instead drove to a secluded area and sexually assaulted her. He was serving as a district attorney in Etowah County at the time.
AL.com reported that another woman, Kelly Harrison Thorp, was working as a waitress at age 17 when Moore asked her out, allegedly telling her, “I go out with girls your age all the time.”
Two more women shared stories about Moore in a report published by the Post on Wednesday, saying the incidents occurred when the women worked at an Alabama mall as young adults. Gena Richardson says Moore repeatedly asked her out around the time of her 18th birthday and, after she denied him, called her at school during a trigonometry class. She agreed to a date, but said that a “forceful” kiss left her scared. The other woman, Becky Gray, said that Moore repeatedly badgered her for a date when she was 22 years old in a way that made her uncomfortable.
Moore has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, blaming partisan politics and attempting to discredit his accusers.
Several prominent Republican politicians ― including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) ― have said he should leave the Senate race.
President Donald Trump, however, has not called for Moore to step aside. Despite questioning by reporters on Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders flatly refused to comment on whether the president supports the embattled candidate.
Ivanka Trump, the president’s elder daughter, addressed the scandal in an oblique way on Wednesday, saying “there is a special place in hell for people who prey on children.”
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.