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Doug Jones' win in Alabama is official
Truck blocks camera from showing Trump golfing
Alabama certifies Jones' win over Moore
Story highlights
- Moore had refused to concede in the wake of the election result
- Merrill said his office had received more than 100 reports of voter fraud and had adjudicated more than 60
(CNN)Alabama on Thursday certified Democrat Doug Jones' victory over Republican Roy Moore in this month's special Senate election.
Moore had refused to concede in the wake of the election result. On Wednesday, he filed an election complaint alleging
voter fraud may have occurred, calling for a delay in the certification
of the results that declared Jones officially the winner and asked for
"a new special election."
Alabama Circuit Judge Johnny Hardwick, however, denied Moore's attempt Thursday afternoon.
"Will this affect anything?" Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said on CNN's "New Day" Thursday morning, referring to Moore's challenge. "The short answer to that is no."
In a statement Thursday, Jones said he was "looking forward to going to work" in the new year.
"As
I said on election night, our victory marks a new chapter for our state
and the nation," he continued. "I will be an independent voice and work
to find common ground with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
get Washington back on track and fight to make our country a better
place for all."
Merrill said his
office had received more than 100 reports of voter fraud and had
adjudicated more than 60. Merrill said one complaint claimed to be about
a town that doesn't exist, a report he dubbed "a flat-out lie."
Shortly
before Alabama was set to certify Jones' victory over Moore, the
Republican's spokeswoman railed against the process and emphatically
stood by the expertise undergirding the campaign's complaint.
"If
they can steal the election from Roy Moore, Governor Ivey, they can
steal it from you, or Secretary of State Merrill, it can happen to you,"
said Moore spokeswoman Janet Porter in an interview with CNN's Dana
Bash.
One of the people cited in
the Moore campaign's complaint is James Condit Jr., who also posts about
JFK conspiracy theories and the murder of DNC staffer, Seth Rich, and,
according to The Washington Post, has referred to "Zionist" control of world politics.
Confronted with some of Condit's background, Porter insisted he was nevertheless "an expert on voting machines."
"Maybe
he got a parking ticket yesterday. That's irrelevant to the case,"
Porter said. "If you want to question, you know, whether he's a Zionist
or not, I am. I'm pro-Israel. I'm glad the embassy is in Jerusalem by
the way. Good job, President Trump."
As
for Trump's lack of support for their effort, Porter turned to Trump's
own claims -- presented without evidence -- that massive voter fraud
cost him the popular vote in the 2016 election.
Jones defeated
Moore in the special election to fill the Senate seat vacated when
President Donald Trump appointed Alabama's own Jeff Sessions to be
attorney general. The ensuing election drew national attention, thanks
in large part to the controversial candidacy of Moore, a Republican
former judge with a history of incendiary comments
and controversial actions. He ran a campaign largely targeting his
party's leadership and drew support from former White House chief
strategist Steve Bannon.
Several
women came forward alleging sexual assault and harassment by Moore in
the past as the campaign progressed. Some of the allegations included
saying Moore had sexually abused teenage girls. Trump, who initially
supported Alabama Republican Sen. Luther Strange but endorsed Moore
following the primary, reaffirmed his support in the wake of the
allegations against Moore.
Moore denied all allegations, and his campaign doubled down on some of his more controversial positions.
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