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Senator Faces New Gay Sex Allegations

AP
Posted: 2007-12-03 11:00:06
Filed Under: Nation News, Politics News
BOISE, Idaho (Dec. 3) -- Eight men say they either had sex with Sen. Larry Craig or were targets of sexual advances by the Idaho lawmaker at various times during his political career, a newspaper reported.


One of the men is the former escort whose allegations disgraced the Rev. Ted Haggard, former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the Idaho Statesman reported Sunday.

The newspaper identified four men and reported details of the encounters they say involved Craig. It also reported the accounts of four other men who did not agree to be identified but who described sexual advances or encounters involving the conservative Republican, who opposes same-sex marriage and has a strong record against gay rights.

Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after being accused by an undercover officer of soliciting sex at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and later called a news conference to deny that he is gay.

The newspaper acknowledged that its report was not based on definitive evidence but said it also found no evidence to disprove the accounts of the four identified men. It said it reviewed the senator's travel records, which put him where the sex is alleged to have taken place, and did background checks on those making the allegations.

Craig and members of his staff declined to comment to the newspaper.

But in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Sunday, the senator said the newspaper's report was "completely false" and he accused the paper of careless journalism.

"It is unfortunate that the Idaho Statesman has chosen to continue to lower itself to the standards of what can best be described as tabloid journalism," Craig said in the statement.

"Despite the fact the Idaho Statesman has decided to pursue its own agenda and print these falsehoods without any facts to back them up, I won't let this paper's attempt to malign my name stop me from continuing my work to serve the people of Idaho."

The report is the Statesman's latest on allegations about Craig's sexual background since his June arrest in an airport men's room sex sting operation was reported in late August.

Statesman Editor Vicki Gowler said the newspaper spent several months checking the backgrounds and details of the men's stories.

"We believe it's important for you to know what we've learned and to hear the men's own words," Gowler said.

Two of the identified men and one of the unidentified men told the newspaper they had sex with Craig.

One of the men identified in the report, Mike Jones, 50, described as a former male escort, was the focus of the sex scandal involving Haggard, the disgraced leader of Colorado's New Life Church.

Jones said Craig paid him $200 for sex in late 2004 or early 2005. The encounter took place at a studio apartment in downtown Denver, Jones said.

Jones told the Statesman that he did not recognize Craig until his arrest made the news. The newspaper reported that Jones went on the record after Craig appeared in a television news report in August to address the arrest and his future in politics.

Jones has written a book about his experience with Haggard and acknowledged to the Statesman that his allegation about Craig might help sales. A message left for Jones by The Associated Press through his publisher Sunday evening was not immediately returned.

Current phone numbers could not be found for the three other men identified in the Statesman's report.

Amid pressure from top GOP leaders in Washington, Craig announced his intent to resign from the Senate. He later changed his mind, deciding to finish out his term, which expires in January 2009. He is also appealing in Minnesota courts to have his guilty plea overturned.

The undercover police officer who arrested Craig said the senator moved his foot next to the officer's foot and tapped it in a way that indicated he wanted sex. He also alleged the senator sent a signal by swiping his hand under the divider between men's room stalls.

Craig has said the officer misconstrued those motions.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-12-03 08:13:10
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6762 comments

Mills1945 04:30:00 PM Dec 09 2007

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HE IS LIVING A LIE ---END OF STORY

Mills1945 04:29:00 PM Dec 09 2007

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DEMS DO NOT HAVE THEIR PLATFORM ON FAMILY VALUES AND "BIBLE THUMPING" -- SUPPOSEDLY YOU ALL BASH DEMS FOR BEING "LIBERAL" WHICH WOULD HAVE THEM EXCEPT PEOPLE FOR WHO AND WHAT THEY ARE

cybrgrace7 03:40:42 PM Dec 09 2007

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Why should gay Republicans resign if gay Democrats don't? What is the actual law? Didn't straight people and Republicans make it a law that adultery is illegal? If the gay Democrats are out and in consensual relationships while the Republicans are largely not, than that is a law broken -- of their own making. It's like trying to prosecute a Black person for an interracial marriage with laws made by an overwhelmingly white legislative body. It's hard for anyone to accept a law made by another group. But, these anti-gay and anti-adultery laws have been made by Republicans.

And the second reason, although hypocrisy is not illegal, it is one of the most despised traits. Add "picking on the underdog" to hypocrisy and you see why there is such a public outpouring of disgust on the Republican hypocrite haters.

HornedSF 02:27:17 PM Dec 09 2007

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The political party that routinely uses fear, religious bigotry and slurs to deny gay Americans the basic freedoms(including religious freedom) promised by our society to all citizens, the same conservative fundamentalists constantly claiming their faith is being attacked while they venomously spew spoken hatred and lies about gay people and condemnation for any faith they don't follow, has turned on their own attack dog. Now Craig can see what it feels like to have the self proclaimed moral authorites slander and distance themselves from any concern for him. If he is gay and closeted, the self loathing he must feel comes from his own words. Cosmic justice at work.

Smalto11 01:41:00 PM Dec 09 2007

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senator craig is a disgrace.. he said he would resign and then thought he could spin this situation because Americans did not line up to hate on him for being gay, at the same time, we do see the hypocracy in his public statements against homosexuals and see how he has brought shame and humiliation upon his family..

Smalto11 01:38:00 PM Dec 09 2007

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kcaron-- no, i am not advocating that bush resign..he has done nothing wrong.. the invasion of iraq was the consequence of unanimous UN resolution 1441, which called for military action upon any one breech, there were 12 major breech points.. unlike the weakness of carter and clinton, bush upheld international law.. the major countries who did not support their own resolution, china, france, germany, russia were the very countries that were illegally corrupting the oil for food program..

joeshmo3993 11:05:00 AM Dec 09 2007

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If he were really not a Homosexual he would join that new church in California

Kcaron10127 09:32:00 AM Dec 09 2007

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Smalto11 06:33:17 PM Dec 08 2007
"the big difference between dems and repubs is that repubs want their ne'er to wells to resign..dems keep electing or supporting people who do wrong.."

You want Dubya to resign?

Me, too!

Ahhh...common ground at last!

PEKennedy2 08:38:00 AM Dec 09 2007

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Why does the Press not call for Barney Franks to resign? Because he is one of the protected media elites and a Democrat.

RDPOLE44 12:17:14 AM Dec 09 2007

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Craig and Barney Frank should run for President on an Independent ticket! It could be a sucksess.

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