Kellyanne Conway: Trump too focused on "policy" to disavow Roy Moore

Donald Trump has not condemned Senate candidate Roy Moore, and the White House is insisting that its because of his supposed focus on ongoing policy issues. But Trump has still found plenty of time to tweet attacks on newspapers and basketball players, not focusing on policy.

Even conservative Alabama outlets have turned on Moore, highlighting the allegations of child abuse and sexual misconduct as beyond the pale.

In an appearance on Fox News, where the Trump administration goes for light questioning from their allies, top aide Kellyanne Conway was asked about the move to have Moore step away from the Alabama Senate race.

After some generalities on the concept of abuse, Conway then said that Trump was instead focused on “the politics and the substance,” rather than pushing for Moore’s ouster.

KILMEADE: But no one can marginalize the impact of a December 12th election because a lot of people think that Roy Moore should be removed.

CONWAY: Well, and I’ll repeat what our White House director of legislative affairs said on the Sunday show. We were on different Sunday shows, whatever the facts end up being, the premise is of course the principle, the incontrovertible principle, is that there’s no Senate seat that’s worth more than a child.

KILMEADE: Absolutely.

CONWAY: And we all want to put that forward. I have three daughters, and a son, frankly, we all are watching this. But again, this president is so focused on the policy and the substance.

But when he was supposedly focused on important matters, Trump has spent his time tweeting. He tweeted a web poll from a supporter insisting that he’s doing a good job. He demanded basketball players thank him after they were released from Chinese custody. He complained about the “failing” New York Times’ reporting on his ineffective Asian trip. He tweeted about being “forced to watch CNN” while he was traveling.

Despite those tweets, and a rambling travelogue about his foreign travel, Trump could not muster a moment to criticize Moore’s alleged behavior, even as many members of his own party have reluctantly done so.

The pattern of abuse and growing list of alleged Moore victims echoes Trump’s own self-admitted groping and sexual abuse of women. His fellow Republicans, who are calling for Moore to go, have remained silent on Trump.

Perhaps Trump won’t condemn Moore because he sees more than a little of himself in Moore’s behavior. Whatever the reason, it is certainly not because Trump is focused on politics and substance.

That would be out of the ordinary.