"I don't know who to believe." News anchor makes Trump director squirm over assault allegations

During a panel discussion on “Meet the Press,” Mitchell pointedly noted Donald Trump’s silence about the mounting allegations against Moore.

Mulvaney claimed that Trump had already spoken out about Moore and that he thinks it should be up to the voters to decide whether or not Moore’s nine accusers are telling the truth.

Mitchell then turned to Mulvaney, asking him: “Do you believe the women who have come out against Roy Moore are credible?”

“I believe they’re credible,” Mulvaney said. But then he added, “I don’t know who to believe.”

“If they’re credible,” Mitchell shot back, “why wouldn’t you believe them?”

Scrambling for an answer, Mulvaney awkwardly cited his position as director of the Office of Management and Budget, saying he “hadn’t looked at the specifics” of the allegations because that’s not his job.

“I run the Office of Management and Budget in Washington D.C. You work for NBC News in Washington D.C.,” Mulvaney rambled. “My guess is we’ve not spent that much time looking at the specifics of these allegations.”

“You’ve arrived at a certain conclusion because of a certain political persuasion,” he sniped at Mitchell.

On Roy Moore's accusers, @MickMulvaneyOMB says: “I believe they are credible, I don’t know who to believe” #MTP pic.twitter.com/nXQcTMNhlC

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 19, 2017

“I am simply asking whether you believe they are credible,” Mitchell interjected. “They have been out in public. They have spoken on the record.”

Mitchell then turned the table back on Mulvaney, saying: “I have no political ax to grind here other than to ask you if you believe they are credible.”

Mulvaney once again refused to say whether or not he believes the nine women who have accused Moore of sexual misconduct and child sexual abuse. Instead, he offered up the same cowardly response that the Trump administration has given all week.

“I believe the folks who vote in the Alabama election will ultimately decide. And that’s the right folks to make that decision.”

Of course Alabama voters will decide — that’s how elections work. But that’s not what Mitchell was asking.

By refusing to say if he believes Moore’s accusers, Mulvaney — like the rest of the Trump administration — is saying that Moore’s denials hold just as much weight as the collective accounts of nine different women.

Of course, believing women is a dangerous road to go down if you work for Trump, who stands accused of sexual misconduct by no fewer than 16 women.