The embattled campaign of Alabama Senate Republican candidate Roy Moore wants one of his accusers to hand over her yearbook so experts can verify the authenticity of the candidate’s signature.
On November 13, Beverly Young Nelson held a press conference with her attorney Gloria Allred, alleging that Moore had assaulted her in 1977 when she was 16 and working at a restaurant that he frequented as a District Attorney. Nelson noted that, before the assault happened, Moore would often pull her hair and complement her looks, and had signed her yearbook.At the press conference, Allred held up a copy that yearbook. The signature read “to a sweeter, more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas. Love Roy Moore, D.A.”
Moore denied the allegations in a brief press conference Monday, saying he did not know who Nelson was. “I don’t know anything about her. I don’t even know where the restaurant is or was,” Moore said Monday.
Jauregui also said that, even though Nelson said she had no contact with Moore after the incident, Moore was the attorney assigned to her divorce case in 1999.
On Wednesday, Moore’s attorney, Phillip L. Jauregui, said that Allred needs to release that yearbook so the signature can be verified by a handwriting expert, arguing that a digital copy will not suffice.
“Everything on that page, they said was written by Judge Moore,” said Jauregui. “Now Judge Moore not only has denied everything she said before but now flatly denies that. And he says its not true. We have a handwriting expert thats looking at those. But here’s the problem. A handwriting expert can’t look at a copy on the internet, right? They’ve got to look at the original.”
The campaign has sent an official letter to Allred demanding the release of the yearbook, Jauregui said.
Allred said in a statement that she had sent letters the Senate Judiciary and Ethics Committee asking that they hold public hearings where both Nelson and Moore would testify. Should that occur, she said, she would agree to have the yearbook examined by an independent party.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com