Article snippet: Senate Republicans are at odds with President Trump over Roy Moore and the Alabama Senate race. Trump broke more than a week of silence on Tuesday by raising doubt about the allegations of sexual misconduct facing Moore, contradicting Senate Majority Leader MORE (R-Ky.) and other Senate Republicans. Trump pushed back on a reporter who asked how he felt about electing a “child molester” by noting that Moore “totally denies it.” The Alabama Republican became embroiled in scandal after The Washington Post reported that he initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl when he was 32. Several other women have come forward to accuse Moore of inappropriate sexual advances that happened when they were teenagers. “He says it didn’t happen, ”Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House. “You have to listen to him, also.” That’s not what McConnell wanted to hear, according to sources close to the Senate GOP leadership. McConnell is worried that Moore will drag down Republican candidates in 2018, which is shaping up to be a tough year for the GOP, and will hurt the party’s brand. “Not only does Moore really hurt Republicans in the Senate and Republicans nationally, he also does great damage to the conservative movement because now every conservative has to answer for Roy Moore,” said a strategist close to the Senate Republican leadership. “Roy Moore comes along, claiming to be a conservative, and now all conservatives are saddled with a guy who is known ... Link to the full article to read more