Senate candidate Roy Moore said in an interview with Time magazine released Wednesday that NFL players kneeling during the national anthem are breaking the law.
"It's against the law, you know that?" he said. "It was an act of Congress that every man stand and put their hand over their heart. That's the law."
Moore is referring to a section of the U.S. code that establishes guidelines for appropriate conduct during the anthem, but that section does not list any legal penalties for not following these rules, according to Cornell Law School.
The section states that "members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute in the manner provided for individuals in uniform; and . . . all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their head dress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart."
President Donald Trump said at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama for Moore's primary opponent Sen. Luther Strange in September that NFL owners should fire any player who "disrespects the flag."
In his interview with Time, Moore expressed his support for Trump.
"I back the President in upholding respect for the patriotism for our country, on two grounds," he said. "One, it's respect for the law. If we don't respect the law, what kind of country are we going to have? Two, it's respect for those who have fallen and given the ultimate sacrifice. I'm surprised that no one brought this up."
He added that "If they didn't have it in there, it would just be tradition. But this is law. If we disobey this, what else are we going to disobey?
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