Tina Johnson is the sixth woman to come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Republican politician Roy Moore, who is in the race to fill Jeff Sessions’ vacant senate seat during the December 12 election. Kelly Harrison Thorp also alleges that Moore hit on her, as a teenage girl working as a waitress. Meanwhile, Johnson alleges that Moore “didn’t pinch it, he grabbed it,” referring to an alleged encounter with Moore in the fall of 1991, in which she claims he grabbed her 28-year-old buttock. Meanwhile, Kelly Harrison Thorp claims that Moore propositioned to take her out on a date when she was 17 years old.
Here’s a quick rundown of both Johnson and Thorp’s stories…
What Are Tina Johnson’s Allegations?
Tina Johnson with her son
Tina Johnson is alleging that Moore grabbed her buttock in the fall of 1991, while she was a 28-year-old woman. At the time, Johnson says she was unemployed and enduring a difficult a divorce. Johnson planned to transfer custody of her 12-year-old son to her grandmother. Her mother hired Roy Moore to handle the paperwork.
In an interview with AL.com, Johnson said that Moore began flirting with her almost instantly as she walked into the office. Johnson said, “He kept commenting on my looks, telling me how pretty I was, how nice I looked. He was saying that my eyes were beautiful. … I was thinking, can we hurry up and get out of here?”
At the time, Johnson was also the mother of two young daughters, and she claims that Moore asked what colors their eyes were and if they were as pretty as their mother.
According to Johnson, after the custody papers were signed, Moore grabbed her buttocks. “He didn’t pinch it, he grabbed it,” she said to AL.com.
Johnson didn’t tell her mother what had happened, but eventually spoke out years later. She said, “I want people know that it’s OK to finally say something. I guess I’m ashamed I didn’t say nothing, didn’t turn around and slap him. … This is not a politics thing with me. It’s more of a moral and religious thing.”
What Are Kelly Harrison’s Allegations?
Kelly Harrison claims that Roy Moore asked her out on a date in 1982. At the time, she was a 17-year-old high school senior and a waitress at a Red Lobster restaurant in Gadsden, Alabama.
Thorp spoke with AL.com, telling them that Moore came into the Red Lobster one day while she was working, and Harrison immediately recognized him because “He was a public figure in this small town.” At the time, he was the deputy district attorney for Etowah County.
She claims that Moore approached and asked if she’d like to go out with him sometime. “I just kind of said, ‘Do you know how old I am?,’” she said. “And he said, ‘Yeah. I go out with girls your age all the time.”
Thorp replied by informing Moore that she had a boyfriend and that she wasn’t interested. Moore then walked away.
