GOP leaders did not "bolt from Senate candidate Moore." They shamefully cast doubt on the veracity of the accusers — 4 unconnected women who, with nothing to gain, spoke up against an abuser in a thoroughly researched and reported story that relied on more than 30 sources. But then this is the party whose leader has been accused by far more women than Moore has and who has bragged about committing sexual abuse. The "if it is true" response is repulsive, it is craven, it is morally offensive, it is political expediency, and it recalls that famous Republican coinage "legitimate rape." Trump, lacking any sense of irony should have remained silent, realizing how inappropriate of him it is to defend another sex offender, but instead he joined the chorus of the supposedly Christian conservatives and spouted the "if it is true" defense of someone who for this and many other reasons should not be allowed anywhere near the Senate.