The Problem With Kellyanne Conway's Reaction To The Roy Moore Story

Kellyanne Conway served up a surpringsily common-sense sound byte over the weekend when she said that any public official who has mistreated women should step down. But there was one problem with the statement that put the White House senior advisor in a potentially awkward position: Her own boss has been accused of sexual assault or harassment by at least a dozen women.

While speaking with ABC News’ This Week host Martha Raddatz on Sunday, Conway joined the chorus of Republicans saying GOP candidate Roy Moore should step aside "if the allegations" on a bombshell The Washington Post story describing how he pursued teenagers when he was in his thirties and had a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old "are true." (The Post spoke with more than 30 people on the record, who confirmed the four women's stories. No Republican has clarified what it would take for the allegations to be proven "true.")

Conway wouldn't outright say whether she believes the women — as Mitt Romney, for example, did on Friday. But she repeated that if Moore, or anyone else, behaved the way that was described in the Post story, they should step down.

"The conduct as described is not only offensive and disgusting, it disqualifies anyone from holding public office," she said, before adding, "Let me go a little step farther. If there’s anyone currently in public office who has behaved that way to any girl or woman, maybe they should step aside. In a country of 330 million people, we ought to be able to do better than this."

That "step farther" is actually the obvious thing to say. Of course anyone with a record of sexual misconduct should not be in public office, because as a country, the U.S. should be better than that.

But maybe this would be a good time to remind Conway that at least 12 women have accused President Trump of sexual assault and harassment — and that he is currently being sued by one of them. As recently as last month, when Trump was subpoenaed in relation to that lawsuit filed by his accuser Summer Zervos, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that all the women are "lying."

So, what would happen if evidence arises proving the allegations against Trump are true? Would Conway ask him to step down from the presidency, too? Judging by how she stood by Trump's side during the election, we all know the answer to that.