Robocall claims Washington Post reporter will pay for ‘damaging’ info on Roy Moore — it’s not true

Alabama voters are receiving a robocall from a man who says he is a reporter for the Washington Post who will pay for “damaging” information on Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama accused of sexual misconduct — but it’s not true.

What are the allegations against Moore?

The robocall follows a report by The Washington Post last week in which four women said that Moore asked them out on dates when they were teenagers and he was in his early 30s.

One of the women, Leigh Corfman, now 53, said that Moore took her to his home, undressed her, groped her, and placed her hand on his underwear when she was just 14 years old.

Another woman, Beverly Young Nelson, said Monday at a news conference that Moore groped her inside a car when she was 16 years old and threatened her not to tell anyone.

Moore and his campaign have denied the allegations, and have accused the Post of fabricating the story.

AL.com also reported that Moore’s affinity for flirting with teen girls was "common knowledge" in Gadsden, Alabama.

What did the robocall say?

Al Moore, an Alabama pastor, told WKRG-TV that he didn’t answer a call from a private number, so it left him a message.

The caller said:

Hi, this is Bernie Bernstein, I’m a reporter for the Washington Post calling to find out if anyone at this address is a female between the ages of 54 to 57 years old willing to make damaging remarks about candidate Roy Moore for a reward of between $5,000 and $7,000 dollars. We will not be fully investigating these claims; however, we will make a written report. I can be reached by email at albernstein@washingtonpost.com. Thank you.

The pastor said he tried to contact the caller through the email address provided, but the message came back as undeliverable. TheBlaze also tried to contact “Bernstein” through the email address provided but the message was undeliverable.

“It is very strange,” the pastor said.

The pastor is not related to the Senate candidate although they share a last name, the Post reported.

What did the Washington Post say?

Marty Baron, executive editor of the Washington Post, said in a statement, “The Post has just learned that at least one person in Alabama has received a call from someone falsely claiming to be from The Washington Post.”

“The call’s description of our reporting methods bears no relationship to reality,” Baron said. “We are shocked and appalled that anyone would stoop to this level to discredit real journalism.”