Kellyanne Conway says anyone in public office who has sexual encounters with underage girls should 'step aside'

'The conduct as described should disqualify anyone from serving in public office and I'll stand by that,' says senior Trump adviser

One of Donald Trump's closest advisers has said that anyone in public office who has sexual encounters with underage girls should "step aside".

Kellyanne Conway made the comment after she was asked about Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, who was last week accused of having sexual contact with a number of teenage girls. One said she was 14-years-old at the time.

"The conduct as described should disqualify anyone from serving in public office and I'll stand by that," she told ABC News. "The President and others in the Republican party have made clear that if the allegations are true this man should step aside.

"But I've gone further than that and I've reflected something the vice President has said as well, which is: Everybody should know that conduct is disqualifying."

Mr Moore, the Republican nominee for a Senate race in Alabama, has admitted to sexual contact with teenagers, but he denied the encounter with the 14-year-old.

There have been calls for him to stand down after Leigh Corfman last week, alleged otherwise to the The Washington Post.

She said Mr Moore, then 32, approached her outside an Alabama courthouse, where he offered to watch out for her while her mother went inside.

When the pair were alone, she said he asked her for her phone number.

He later arranged to pick Ms Corfman, who was 14-years-old, up near her home, where she said he kissed her. On a second similar visit, she said he removed his clothes and touched her sexually,

“I wanted it over with — I wanted out," she said. “Please just get this over with. Whatever this is, just get it over.”

Mr Moore has described her claims as "fake news" and vowed to file a lawsuit against The Post. He has yet to do so.