GOP Senate candidate’s faith adviser calls Roy Moore “one of our own”

Mandel is hoping to defeat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who currently holds the seat. Mandel unsuccessfully challenged Brown in 2012.

But now a prominent member of Mandel’s team is speaking up, and he is on Moore’s side despite the toxic claims against the Alabama Republican. Writing on his blog, Gary Click has issued a clarion call to fellow conservatives to defend Moore.

Click is part of Mandel’s faith based outreach team and also a member of his district’s Republican Central Committee.

On his blog, Click criticized Mitt Romney, who called on Moore to immediately drop out of the race. In his point of view, Click views the allegations – and the accounts backing them up – as “sensationalism.”

He also casts doubt on the allegations using some extremely specious logic. Click writes, “The fact that this trail of accusations is cold from then until now is a strong indicator that their validity is questionable.”

The time it took for this behavior to be uncovered was not unusual, and the reaction from people like Click is a big part of that. The women who come forward with claims like this constantly have their accounts and veracity questioned, and in this instance, get personally threatened by a Senate candidate.

Click laments being unable “to cross examine the accusers.”

He also writes that to agree with Democrats and moderate Republicans in distancing themselves from Moore would be supporting “unsubstantiated character assassinations aimed at one of our own for mere political expediency.”

Click concludes by advising fellow Republicans and conservatives to be silent on issues like this warning, “Don’t commit to what you don’t know and can’t know.”

Mandel refuses to go on the record and add his opposition or support for Moore to the public record. Instead he continues to hide out and bide his time, hoping that he can do a better job against Brown.

Now that a key member of his campaign’s inner circle is coming out so strongly for Moore, Mandel’s unwillingness to speak up is glaring.

Mandel will have to let Ohioans, and the country, know if he is willing to give these charges a pass to help Republicans, or if he will consider the alleged child victims of Roy Moore and do what is right.