Just one night after Sean Hannity issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Republican candidate Roy Moore to “remove any doubt” of his innocence or “get out” of the race, Hannity moved the goalpost – and suggested Republicans should kick the scandal down the road. 

Here’s what Hannity said Tuesday night:

HANNITY: For me, the judge has 24 hours. He must immediately and fully come up with a satisfactory explanation for your inconsistencies that I just showed. You must remove any doubt. If you can’t do this, then Judge Moore needs to get out of this race. … We deserve answers, insist on answers. And truth.

Hannity backed off even as he acknowledged new Moore accusers have come forward

Hannity began his walk back last night by announcing that three new women have come forward to accuse Moore in the 24 hours.

HANNITY: Clearly now, this raises new issues in the state of Alabama

[…]

Last night, on this broadcast, I demanded answers from Judge Moore.

… I don’t rush to judgment … I’m never going to apologize for not rushing to judgment. The issue of presumption of innocence is important for all of us. However, these allegations are beyond disturbing and serious.

[…]

I went through the Washington Post allegations methodically, point by point, through each and every allegation.

Hannity just forgot to mention that his “method” was to throw Moore softballs (that he whiffed) and not follow up on Moore’s many incriminating answers.

He also forgot to mention that his avoidance of "rushing to judgment" doesn't apply to Hillary Clinton, whom Hannity has already convicted without even any formal charges. 

Hannity laughably claims his questions were answered by Moore

HANNTY: Today, we got the answers to the questions that we asked.

The “answer,” according to Hannity was that Moore’s attorney “questioned the validity of the yearbook’s signature. He said it could be forged and demanded a forensic analysis.”

As it happens, I was a handwriting expert in a former life and I saw no evidence of forgery, though I would never render an official opinion without examining better samples. I went into this a bit more in a Facebook post.

But really, this is a distraction. Even if the yearbook signature is phony, there is still quite a large pile of evidence against Moore, including those incriminating answers he gave to Hannity in their interview last week. That occurred before Beverly Young Nelson came forward with her yearbook. Even if Nelson should be entirely discredited, by Newsweek’s count, she is only one of nine women accusing Moore of “assault, harassment or unwanted advances, with most saying the former judge preyed on them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s.”

The other “answers” were Moore’s playing-the-victim deflections in a letter to Hannity that cleared up none of the inconsistencies Hannity had claimed to demand. Hannity read the letter in full on the air. Here is an excerpt:

"I believe tampering [with the yearbook] has occurred. Are we at a stage in American politics in which false allegations can overcome a public record of 40 years, stampede the media and politicians to condemn an innocent man potentially impact the outcome of an election of national importance when allegations of events occurring 40 years ago, and never before mentioned during a 40 year career of public service, are brought out and taken seriously only 30 days before a critical election. We may be in trouble as a country."

Notice how Moore never said he didn’t write the yearbook inscription? Hannity seems to have missed that.

HANNITY: Now we’ve demanded rightly answers from Judge Moore. He provided them to the specific questions we ask.

Hannty throws a lifeline to Moore and the GOP, while claiming to do so in the name of the people

Hannity concluded by suggesting the governor of Alabama should delay the election. That would give the GOP more time to pressure Moore to get out and come up with a new candidate. Hannity, however, claimed he was merely thinking of the voters.

HANNITY: (T)he people of Alabama, they need to know the truth, and they’ve got to have all the facts that they need. That means that the Alabama voters can make an educated, informed, inclusive decision for their state when they go to the polls. And if that means—whatever it means to get to the truth, if it means more time, I believe the governor according to [Fox News’] Gregg Jarrett has the ability to make that decision. … [This] [s]houldn’t be decided by me, by people on television, by Mitch McConnell, Washington, talk show hosts, news people.

In other words, Hannity’s ultimatum was about as meaningful as his still-unfulfilled pledge to be waterboarded for charity -  8 years, 6 months, and 26 days ago.

Watch Hannity weasel out of his latest promise below, from the November 15, 2017 Hannity.