By Lee Hedgepeth
Alabama Political Reporter
ENTERPRISE – Winning by about a ten point spread, indicted Republican House Representative Barry Moore succeeded in defending his seat from a primary challenge by local prosecutor Josh Pipkin. The bigger battle, though, will come in September, during which Moore is set to go to trial over four felony charges he received in relation to the public corruption investigation stemming from Lee County.
“I told our people we’re going to win the race and we’re going to win the case,” Rep. Moore recently told the press.
Moore was indicted in mid April on four felony counts, two perjury charges and two charges of misleading investigators. These charges stemmed from a police interview in which Moore was asked about a phone conversation between himself and primary opponent Josh Pipkin. In the police interview, Rep. Moore said that he had neither heard threats against Pipkin’s campaign from Speaker Hubbard or relayed any of those threats. According to the indictment released by the Attorney General’s Office, that is materially false.
On the phone call in question, a recording of which has been released by the Alabama Political Reporter, Rep. Moore says that the Speaker would prevent the creation of a hundred local district jobs unless Pipkin dropped out. In it, Moore also says that Hubbard would have “rained holy hell” down on Pipkin.
Moore has denied all allegations and his attorney, former Democratic AG Bill Baxley, has filed a motion to dismiss the charges on several grounds, a motion which is currently being reviewed by a Lee County judge.
Originally set for June 3, which was primary election day, Moore’s trial is now set for mid-September in Lee County, and the indicted Representative says he is ready.
“We’re going to win that too. We have a lot of evidence I haven’t been able to present.”
Given there was no Democratic opposition, with his primary victory, Moore secured another term in the Alabama House. If convicted of a felony charge, however, Moore would be automatically booted from office, as felons are ineligible to serve in the state legislature.
