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Roy Moore’s brother is defending the GOP Senate candidate “to the hilt” amid the escalating controversy over allegations of sexual misconduct against him, according to CNN correspondent Martin Savidge, who spoke to the brother on the phone.

Jerry Moore firmly denied the allegations against his brother and drew an analogy between his situation and the persecution of Jesus Christ, Savidge reported Friday in an interview with CNN’s John Berman.

Savidge spoke to Jerry Moore on Friday morning, one day after an explosive Washinton Post report detailed allegations that the Republican Senate candidate from Alabama pursued sexual relationships with several teens when they were between the ages of 14 and 18 and he was in his thirties, including an alleged sexual encounter with the 14-year-old, who would not have been at the age of legal consent under Alabama law.

Jerry Moore said, “he knows … that the allegations against Roy Moore are not true, not true at all,” Savidge reported. The younger Moore also said “he’s very concerned about what the impact is going to be on their 91-year-old mother, hearing all of this, they worry about her age and health,” Savidge said.

Moore also claimed that the Democratic Party was behind what he called “false allegations,” and that “these women are going to, as [Moore] put it, have to answer to God for these false allegations,” Savidge said.

“When I asked what does he believe the motivation is with these women coming forward making the accusations they have, again, Jerry Moore says it’s money and the Democratic Party, implying that they are doing this because they’re being paid in some way, and it is for the purpose of derailing or interrupting this campaign,” Savidge said.

Moore went so far as to say “that his brother is being persecuted, in his own words, like Jesus Christ was,” according to Savidge. “Very defiant and very outspoken, relying on his faith and defending his brother to the hilt.”

Roy Moore, who faces a December 12 US Senate election, denied the allegations in the Post report, telling the newspaper: “These allegations are completely false and are a desperate political attack by the National Democrat Party and The Washington Post on this campaign.”

Later Thursday, the candidate tweeted, “The Obama-Clinton Machine’s liberal media lapdogs just launched the most vicious and nasty round of attacks against me. We are in the midst of a spiritual battle with those who want to silence our message.”

“The forces of evil will lie, cheat, steal — even inflict physical harm — if they believe it will silence and shut up Christian conservatives like you and me,” he wrote.