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Has Trump weighed in on Roy Moore yet?

By Gregory Krieg and Tal Yellin

President Donald Trump is not known for being shy when it comes to hot-button political questions. But he's been unusually quiet, or circumspect, when it comes to the scandal enveloping Alabama Republican Roy Moore's Senate campaign.

On Thursday afternoon, November 9, The Washington Post published a report detailing allegations that Moore, the Republican nominee, pursued sexual relationships with teenagers when he was in his early thirties.

One of them, Leigh Corfman, said she was 14 years old when Moore, then 32, initiated sexual contact with her. Three others told the Post that Moore had sought them out when they were teens. On Monday, another Alabama woman came forward and accused Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was 16.

Moore has denied it all and has vowed to carry on with his campaign. The special election is slated for December 12.

The question now, as the Republican establishment backs away from Moore, is whether Trump will do the same. The White House responded last week by saying, in part, that the President "believes that if these allegations are true, Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside."

Trump then promised a more detailed statement when he returned to the US. He arrived back on Tuesday, at around 9 p.m. ET. Since then, he has tweeted regularly -- but not yet addressed the Moore situation. After avoiding the issue during televised remarks on Wednesday, his position remained unclear.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, asked again on Thursday, offered no new insight into Trump's thinking.

"The President believes that these allegations are very troubling and should be taken seriously, and he thinks that the people of Alabama should make the decision on who their next senator should be," she said, adding later that "if those (allegations against Moore) do happen to be true, then he should do the right thing and step aside."

Given Trump's delight in sharing his thoughts on almost every issue in American life, his near silence on this one stands out.

So, we wait -- and watch the clock (literally here). The published allegations are a week old. But our count started from when Trump got back to the White House from his Asia trip.