LANETT — Chambers County Republican Club president Greg Ward says sexual assault allegations against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore “don’t pass the smell test.”

“Only after we finished deciding who was a candidate did this come out,” Ward said. “The Republican leadership in Washington supporting Luther Strange spent $38 million against Roy Moore and they couldn’t find anything. It just stinks.”

Moore has been accused by five women thus far of engaging in unsolicited sexual contact. Three of these women have reported advances by the former Etowah County assistant district attorney while they were in their late teens and he in his early thirties.

Moore has denied all accusations made against him, calling the latest allegation a “witch hunt.”

Beverly Nelson brought forward her story against the hopeful Senator Monday, days after the Washington Post article was published, outlining the other allegations.

She says she was 16 when Moore drove her behind the restaurant and sexually assaulted her.

Ward said the timing of these allegations coming out doesn’t make sense.

“These allegations are 40 years old,” Ward said. “In that time he’s been assistant district attorney, circuit judge, and chief of the supreme court twice. Luther Strange spent $38 million to beat Moore and all that time they’ve looked back and forth to find something to discredit him. It’s highly suspicious it didn’t come out in the primary.

“This is a very important election – it’s the only way Democrats can win a Senate seat in Alabama.”

Ward said allegations should not be taken as fact until proven to be true.

“I’ve never seen such a rush to judgment in my life,” Ward said.

In Washington, Moore’s denials have been increasingly dismissed, however. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leaded, declared, “I believe the woman.” While Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado has called for the Senate to expel Mr. Moore.

Despite the bad publicity Moore has gotten, Ward said he still  thinks Alabama Republicans are going to stick with Moore and vote him in over Democratic challenger Doug Jones.

“What I’m hearing is – it comes to do you want Roy Moore or a Democrat?” Ward said.

Ward also criticized the response from Democrats as “hypocritical.”

“There just seems to be such a double standard,” Ward said. “They attacked Clarence Thomas too by bringing out a woman and everyone dismissed it. But when Bill Clinton was doing what he was doing, they weren’t out to remove him and many would take him back in the office if they could. That seems to be an incredible double standard and incredibly unfair.”