Franklin Pastor Who 'Signed' Roy Moore Letter: No, I Didn't

FRANKLIN, TN — Dr. George Grant of Franklin's Parish Presbyterian Church is one of dozens of pastors whose name is attached to a letter of support for embattled U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, an Alabama Republican. Grant, though, never asked to be included on the letter and, in fact, hasn't spoken to Moore in years, he tells WSMV.

Moore's wife Kayla posted the letter on Facebook Sunday after the Washington Post reported the stories of four women who reported Moore pursued them sexually and romantically when he was in his 30s and they were under the age of 18. One of his accusers said Moore kissed and touched her when she was 14 and he was 32.

The letter, purportedly signed by pastors from across Alabama and the South, urges people to reject the "attacks" on Moore and vote for him when Alabama goes to the polls.

"We are ready to join the fight and send a bold message to Washington: dishonesty, fear of man, and immorality are an affront to our convictions and our Savior and we won’t put up with it any longer. We urge you to join us at the polls to cast your vote for Roy Moore," the letter reads in part.

But Grant said he didn't even know about the letter until Monday morning. He told WSMV no one — not Kayla Moore nor anyone from Moore's campaign — asked him if he wanted to be included. Grant said he hasn't spoken to Moore in more than a decade and that he has no interest in Alabama politics.

Following the Post's report, the New Yorker reported that Moore was banned from the Gadsden Mall and the YMCA in the 1980s when he was the district attorney for soliciting teenage girls. High-profile attorney Gloria Allred held a press conference Monday with a woman who said Moore sexually assaulted herwhen she was 16 and a waitress at a popular north Alabama restaurant frequented by the-then DA. The woman showed a yearbook signed by Moore.

Many Republicans have begun to distance themselves from Moore. Sunday, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker tweeted "Look, I'm sorry, but even before these reports surfaced, Roy Moore's nomination was a bridge too far." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he believed Moore's accusers and said the former Alabama chief justice should "go."

For now, though, Moore remains on the ballot, though there are whispers of asking Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to delay the election, though she said she won't. Some Senate Republicans are saying they'll use the Constitutional option to refuse to seat Moore should he win, making him the first person ousted from the body since 1862.

Also See: Alabama Senate Race On Track As Moore Scandal Grows

Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at the Vestavia Hills Public library, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Vestavia Hills, Ala. According to a Thursday, Nov. 9 Washington Post story an Alabama woman said Moore made inappropriate advances and had sexual contact with her when she was 14. Moore is denying the allegations. (AP Photo/Hal Yeager)