If you feel exhausted by conservative pundits and politicians attacking Roy Moore for his alleged conduct with teenage girls, you will be grateful to David Frum.
While for years Republicans denounced the idea of having an independent investigation into the allegations against Moore, Frum in his tweets persuaded GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter and Senator Mike Lee to change their minds.
Here’s the backstory: On October 30, The Washington Post reported on allegations from eight women that Moore pursued them and made advances toward them when they were in their teens and he was in his 30s.
After stories of the allegations began to circulate in the media, Lee and Hunter began to express skepticism about the claims. These criticisms took place against the backdrop of Lee’s heated criticism of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. And Lee’s provocative Twitter threat not to cooperate.
Lee’s Twitter rants have long pitted conservatives against his fellow Republicans. Earlier this month, Tucker Carlson called Lee “increasingly sinister.” and predicted that he would end up promoting the genocidal agenda of Europe’s Nazi government.
But Frum, in his Twitters, was telling Lee’s fellow Republicans, not Lee, that they must not “conspire to protect Roy Moore, the pig,” he wrote.
Earlier this week, Lee tweeted: “I know I’m asked about my thoughts on the alleged Roy Moore case. After weeks of saying I couldn’t answer, I’m willing to at least reveal my thoughts.”
I know I’m asked about my thoughts on the alleged Roy Moore case. After weeks of saying I couldn’t answer, I’m willing to at least reveal my thoughts. — Senator Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) May 25, 2018
His post led to a remarkable development. First, at the end of Frum’s tweet, he identified his source of the Moore bombshell story, describing it as “a reliable and experienced reporter I’ve known for a long time.”
A few hours later, Lee posted a comment that led, among other things, to the crux of the argument, noting that the story had started with a follow-up question, a comment he received by email.
It was an email from my reporter colleague who wrote a story on Roy Moore at the Washington Post several days ago. I also tweeted in the thread yesterday that his story began with this. — Senator Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) May 25, 2018
…A social security number he received during the process, as the process is not fully reliable. I asked the reporter what prompted him to investigate this person. He couldn’t tell me. — Senator Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) May 25, 2018
…Now, two of the women who claimed Roy Moore had pursued them as teens said he had the same Social Security number in the year they allege he pursued them. He gave it to them! — Senator Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) May 25, 2018
Lee then took a more measured approach when it came to his email source, who he identified as David Manlove. Manlove had worked for a local news outlet where Lee is a local councilman, and before that had worked as a reporter for another news outlet.
Last week the New York Times released a profile of Lee in which he lauded the strength of what he calls his “commonsense” brand of conservatism. He references a comment, at the end of his NBC profile, from Gingrich, who had said, “I don’t think there is a single rock Republican who can step out of the mainstream and not be branded as a RINO.”
I believe that the strongest force upholding our Christian principles is our free press. This requires our public servants to maintain a measure of civility, which over the course of history has been the hallmark of greatness. — Senator Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) May 24, 2018
In the few hours since Lee’s comment on Twitter, he said he has asked Manlove who this source is: “I have asked him and he has declined to say. I believe that the strongest force upholding our Christian principles is our free press. This requires our public servants to maintain a measure of civility, which over the course of history has been the hallmark of greatness.”