The Washington Post's executive editor condemned a robocall made during the U.S. Senate race in Alabama.
"Hi, this is Bernie Bernstein," the caller says, according to The Hill. "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," says the caller. "We will not be fully investigating these claims. However, we will make a written report."
The call comes after the Washington Post reported on four women accusing Republican candidate Roy Moore of pursuing them when the women were between the ages of 14 and 18. Moore was in his 30s at the time. In a later report, a fifth woman accused Moore of sexual misconduct.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has joined a number of other elected officials calling for Moore to drop out of the race.
Moore has denied the allegations and resisted pulling from the election, which is slated for Dec. 12. The election will fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, who became U.S. Attorney General.
Mobile, Ala.-based WKRG originally published the report on the robocall after a local pastor reported getting the message.
Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron slammed the robocall.
"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," Baron said in a statement to WKRG. "The call's description of our reporting methods bears no relationship to reality. We are shocked and appalled that anyone would stoop to this level to discredit real journalism."
