The Republican National Committee will transfer funds to the Alabama Republican Party following President Donald Trump’s endorsement Monday of GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore in that state’s special election next week, according to a senior RNC official.
The official added, “The RNC is the political arm of the president and we support the President.”
Breitbart News first reported on the RNC’s move to re-engage in the race.
While Trump and the RNC are backing Moore, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is not changing its stance. An NRSC source says it is staying out of the race and that Chairman Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado remains committed to this position.
Trump put his full support behind the controversial Republican candidate on Monday despite accusations by one woman that Moore had initiated sexual contact with her when she was 14 years old. The legal age of consent in Alabama is 16. After the report, another woman came forward to accuse Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was 16, and several other women said he had pursued relationships with them when they were teens and he was in his early 30s. Moore, now 70, vehemently denies the allegations.
Trump called the Republican candidate on Monday and, according to White House spokesman Raj Shah, the two “had a positive call” during which they “discussed the state of the Alabama Senate race.”
Trump also will be holding a political event in Pensacola, Florida, which is just 25 miles from the Alabama border, later this week.
The RNC had withdrawn from a joint fund-raising agreement that benefited Moore in mid-November, after the allegations surfaced.
Moore thanked Trump for his support in a release on Monday.
“I am honored to receive the support and endorsement of President Donald Trump,” Moore said in the statement. “President Trump knows that the future of his conservative agenda in Congress hinges on this election. I look forward to fighting alongside the President to strengthen our military, secure our border, protect our gun rights, defend the sanctity of life, and confirm conservative judges to courts around this nation. We had a good conversation over the phone today and are working together towards conservative victory on December 12.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper and Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.
