Roy Moore Accuser Admits Adding Notation To Yearbook Inscription

Beverly Young Nelson, who has accused Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore of sexual assaulting her decades ago when she was a teenager, admitted Friday to adding a notation to a high school yearbook inscription she claims Moore wrote in 1977. Moore, his allies and his attorney seized on the admission, pointing to it to argue that Nelson's allegations of sexual misconduct against Moore are not true.Nelson, one of several women who have accused Moore of sexual misconduct in recent weeks, alleged that Moore groped her and tried to force himself on her while in his car. At the time, Nelson said she was 16 and Moore was in his 30s. Her allegations against Moore were made alongside celebrity attorney Gloria Allred last month and she presented the yearbook inscription as proof she and Moore had known each other 40 years ago.In an interview withABC News Friday, Nelson reiterated that Moore signed the yearbook. The inscription says: "To a sweeter, more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas. Christmas 1977. Love, Roy More, D.A. 12-22-77 Olde Hickory House." Ole Hickory House was the restaurant Nelson worked at in Gadsden, Ala., where she said she met Moore in the 1970s."Beverly, he signed your yearbook," Nelson was asked by ABC News' Tom Llamas."He did sign it," Nelson replied.Llamas followed up with: "And you made some notes underneath.""Yes," Nelson said.ABC News did not ask Nelson specifically what notes she added.Conservative media outlets and supporters of Moore quickly pounced on the admission as proof that Nelson was not being truthful.Bryan Fischer, a host on the Christian-oriented American Family Radio tweeted:"Roy Moore accuser Beverly Young Nelson now admits she doctored the yearbook note. Ooops."Wayne Dupree, host of the Wayne Dupree Show tweeted: "Roy Moore Accuser Doctoring Yearbook Inscription This is one, Beverly Young Nelson won't be able to take back. Will media report or overlook this one on Sunday talk shows??"Roy Moore himself tweeted Friday: "Now she herself admits to lying."During a press conference in Atlanta Friday afternoon, Nelson again appeared alongside Allred and doubled down on her accusations against Moore."I want everyone to know that I stand by my previous statement that Roy Moore sexually assaulted me," Nelson said.Allred said she retained forensic handwriting expert Arthur Anthony to examine the inscription by comparing Moore's "known standard handwriting and signature to the entry in Beverly's yearbook."She said her expert concluded the writing was prepared by Moore and called Anthony's analysis "important evidence" that supports her client's claims.Allred added: "We did not ask the expert to examine the printing after the cursive writing and signature, because Beverly indicates that she added that to remind herself of who Roy Moore was and where and when Mr. Moore signed her yearbook."In a separate press conference late Friday afternoon in Montgomery, Ala., Moore's attorney Phillip Jauregui referenced Nelson's November 13 news conference where he said Allred and Nelson had said "everything written in that yearbook was written by Judge Moore." He added: "Well, today it's a different story, isn't it?"Jauregui said he has known Moore for more than 24 years and has never witnessed Moore acting "remotely inappropriate.""We hoped back then that when you have allegations that are 40 years old, that somehow, something can come out to prove that it's not true. Well, guess what? It has," Jauregui said.Moore's campaign has denied all of the sexual misconduct allegations, including Nelson's. Moore also said the handwriting in Nelson's yearbook was not his — adding that he was not the district attorney at the time, but the assistant district attorney.Moore's legal team has called on Allred and Nelson to release the yearbook so the signature in question could be independently examined.Moore is running against Democrat Doug Jones in a special Senate election to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions; voters go to the polls in Alabama on Tuesday.The seat was held on temporarily by appointed Sen. Luther Strange, who Moore defeated in a special GOP primary in September.President Trump officially endorsed Moore on Monday and will attend a campaign rally Friday night in Pensacola, Fla., about 20 miles from the Alabama border. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org/.