The Hill reports from Alabama as Colorado political water-cooler denizens experience a strange sense of deja vu:
Republican Roy Moore says he completed a lie detector test after the Alabama Senate election concluded to prove the allegations of sexual misconduct are untrue as he seeks to challenge his loss to Democrat Doug Jones.
“Also provided in the complaint is an affidavit from Judge Roy Moore stating that he successfully completed a polygraph test confirming the representations of misconduct made against him during the campaign are completely false,” Moore’s campaign said in a Wednesday press release…
Moore, who has repeatedly denied the allegations, has defiantly refused to concede in the Senate race — despite President Trump urging him to accept the results.
Earlier this month, as our readers know all too well, accused serial sexual harasser Rep. Steve Lebsock proclaimed his innocence of the charges leveled against him by 10 or more women who worked with him in the Colorado General Assembly based on the results a self-administered polygraph examination. For Lebsock, the claim that a polygraph examination offered anything like proof positive of his innocence was quickly laughed off by every responsible media outlet in the state. Again quoting KUNC’s Bente Birkeland:
Lebsock paid $350 for the polygraph test. While he said it completely exonerates him, an expert in the validity of polygraph testing said the test “doesn’t have much credibility.”
“The tests themselves are not supported by scientific evidence,” said William Iacono, a professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota.
He has served as an expert witness in 50 trials and published many papers on the topic.
“They have a weak foundation in terms of their accuracy,” Iacono said, adding “and then one that is arranged by the person to serve their own benefit is one certainly that shouldn’t be trusted.”
To be clear, we’re not trying to suggest failed GOP U.S. Senate candidate and accused child molester Roy Moore relies on “scientific evidence” for anything–and his similarly unscientific supporters, desperate for anything to justify having supported Moore, will no doubt be completely satisfied. They would probably be okay with sheep entrails if you could convince them it was a Christian thing.
As for everyone with critical thinking skills, this only shows again why Moore didn’t deserve to win.
It shouldn’t even be necessary to point out what this does for Rep. Lebsock’s credibility, especially with his (nominally) fellow Democrats, but suffice to say Lebsock now has about the most dubious company possible in his defense against allegations of serial sexual harassment. Perhaps Lebsock will now leap to Roy Moore’s defense, which would be…something.
Stay tuned, in both cases we probably haven’t hit bottom yet.
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Another 2018 prediction. Lebsock is ejected from the CO State House on a vote of 64-1. He decides to petition onto the ballot for state Treasurer. He gets 2 signatures: his own and Nutlid's.
I guess we count nutlid’s “X” as a signature . . .
And, in more Moore news … "Jones defeated Republican nominee Roy Moore by 21,924 votes out of more than 1.3 million cast." A (real) judge turned down Moore's effort to block the certification. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall and Secretary of State John Merrill – all Republicans – signed off on election results from all 67 counties.
Haven't yet seen when Doug Jones will be sworn in and seated.
1/3/18
Just in time to vote with Cory Gardner and the Republicans on that “historical” tax-cut bill!
Are you trying to make Zappy blow a gasket?
I spose’ it’s my fault that dress makes his ass look big??!?? . . .
How would you suggest someone accused of sexual harassment defend themselves? Should they not even try? Are they guilty until proven innocent? How is it that liberals are willing to throw due process out the window and settle scores by witch hunt?
Something is wrong with this picture.
What do multiple women have to gain by coming out and accusing a man of misconduct? They risk sticking their necks out and getting smeared. Tjey have more incentive to say nothing because of the hits they will take over their coming forward.
By saying it's a witch hunt. You suggest that you believe the women are lying. Do you believe the women are lying nutlid?
And remember …. at least one of them was a Trump supporter. She should be a credible source in Nutlid's eyes.
Moldy, Try a little wisdom from an old Roman saying: when one person calls you a mule, consider the source. When a dozen people call you a mule, get a saddle.
Is that the legal standard now? Twelve people accuse you and you're guilty?
Shouldn't you at least allow trial by combat or something? Once you Democrats cast due process to the wind I guess anything is possible.
Shame on you.
It's a civil issue. Not a criminal one. Do you even know the difference? You might as well come out and say that you think the women are lying.
Lebsock isn't facing legal charges. He's facing being forced out as a legislator, from the arena where he has been a serial offender. And yes, there was a process – it's just there are loopholes in the process big enough to drive a dump truck through. No defined consequences for breaking the rules, for starters.
The process when Lebsock was first accused involved investigation, and letting him have his say. He agreed not to drink outside his house, and his office was located away from offices of female legislators.
Then, as the accusations started to pile up, it became evident that Lebsock must resign – not under legal charges, but because his continued tenure as legislature meant that colleagues were at risk, and the scandal would continue drawing attention away from a political agenda.
Representative (and AG candidate) Joe Salazar, among others, says that the complaint system must be fixed. It is too vague and leaves too much wiggle room now. Certainly, your Republican legislators like it the way it is. There have been no calls for harasser Baumgartner to resign from leadership. Was it Baumgartner or Lebsock who harassed Rep. Esgar? We don't yet know. The timing of this suggests it was Lebsock.
But just having to ask which male legislator groped a colleague in public shows the extent of the problem.
So once again, I am calling for a consistent, bipartisan, independent process to deal with complaints of sexual harassment in the legislature.
You know what they say about the best defense . . .
. . . is not being guilty!?
I think the Constitution goes into more detail, lawless liberal trash.
To paraphrase someone of dubious intelligence: hurling insults means you're losing.
Moldy, Nobody is trying to put this perv in prison since the statute of limitations has long since expired.
But nobody has a Sixth Amendment right to a seat in the U.S. Senate. It's a privilege and many voters (apparent 51% of Alabama voters) do not want to award it to a man who admit that generally he did not date 14 year old girls when he was in his thirties.
To quote your friend, Andrew Carnegie, You lost because your candidate sucked.
Fluffy, he's already acknowledged that the charges are not groundless. When asked if he ever "dated" 14-year old girls when he was in his 30's, his response was "Generally, no."
What the hell does that say?
Even if some of the accusations are not entirely accurate, there's enough out there that smells pretty bad.
What should he do? Crawl under a rock.