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Alabama Senate nominee Roy Moore plans to visit Washington this week – with no signs of making up with GOP leaders

October 3, 2017 at 10:33 p.m. EDT
Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, speaks at a campaign rally in Fairhope, Ala., on Sept. 25 . (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Roy Moore, the controversial Republican Senate nominee in Alabama, plans to visit Washington this week, according to three Republicans familiar with his plans. But there was no indication he was prepared to reconcile with the establishment GOP forces that expended considerable resources trying to defeat him.

Moore intends to meet with Republican members of Alabama’s House delegation on Wednesday, two Republicans familiar with the plans said. Another Republican familiar with the trip said he planned this week to visit with Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist and a vigorous supporter of his campaign.

The Republicans spoke on the condition of anonymity since Moore’s trip had not been announced publicly. A spokeswoman for Moore’s campaign said Tuesday afternoon that she had no updates to provide to the candidate’s schedule this week.

There were no signs that Moore planned to meet or make up with President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) or Alabama Sen. Richard C. Shelby, all of whom backed the Republican he defeated: Sen. Luther Strange. All three currently support Moore, now that he is the party’s nominee.

After contested primaries, it’s customary for the victor to come meet the Senate leader and GOP caucus, usually within a week or so of the primary to demonstrate party unity. But Moore was not on hand at Tuesday’s weekly Republican luncheon, a potential harbinger of lingering bad blood for the establishment’s backing of Strange.

“I would call the Moore campaign to get the Moore campaign schedule,” said McConnell spokesman Don Stewart, when asked if McConnell planned to meet with the candidate, who has openly criticized the GOP leader during his run.

An aide to Shelby said there were no immediate plans for a meeting. “Roy Moore has not yet reached out with a time for the two of them to meet; however, Senator Shelby is happy to meet with the Republican nominee,” said Alyssa Pettus, a Shelby spokeswoman.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she was not aware of any plans for a meeting between Moore and Trump.

Trump plans to visit Las Vegas on Wednesday, where the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history took place late Sunday. It was not immediately clear how long Moore would be in Washington.

In a September visit to the nation’s capital, Moore met with Bannon, who later traveled to Alabama to campaign for him.

The conservative insurgent Moore railed against the Republican establishment throughout his campaign, singling out McConnell for criticism on many occasions.

Moore’s win in a runoff last Tuesday was a blow to both McConnell and Trump. An organization headed by a former McConnell aide pumped millions of dollars into the race to try to help Strange win. Trump appeared at a campaign rally for Strange just days before the vote.

Some Republicans believe Moore’s victory will empower other firebrand conservative primary challengers this election cycle.

Moore is a twice suspended former Alabama state Supreme Court judge who believes that “God’s law” can invalidate federal court decisions. Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney, is his Democratic opponent in the Dec. 12 special election to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions earlier this year.

Paul Kane contributed to this report.