BOISE, Ida. - Eight men have come forward to the Idaho Statesman with allegations that they either had sex with or were the targets of sexual advances by Sen. Larry Craig, according to the Associated Press.
One of those men is Mike Jones, 50, the former male escort at the center of the sex scandal that disgraced Rev. Ted Haggard, leader of Colorado's New Life Church and former president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Jones said that Craig paid him $200 for sex in late 2004 or early 2005 at a studio apartment in downtown Denver.
Jones has written a book about the Haggard scandal, and acknowledged to the Statesman that his allegations about Craig could fuel sales for him. Furthermore, the Statesman acknowledged that its report was not based on definitive evidence, but that it also had found no evidence disproving any of the allegations.
This is the latest of several reports by the Statesman on Craig's alleged sexual background since his arrest last June in a men's bathroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport for soliciting sex from an undercover officer. Though he pleaded guilty to the charge, Craig — a conservative Republican with a strong record against gay rights — has adamantly denied in subsequent public statements that he is gay.
Regarding these latest allegations, Craig told the AP in an e-mailed statement that the Statesman's report was "completely false" and commented, "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. Despite the fact that 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."
Statesman editor Vicki Gowler said that the newspaper spent several months checking the backgrounds and details of these men's stories and stated, "We believe it's important for you to know what we've learned and to hear the men's own words."
In addition to Jones, three of the other seven men were identified, two of whom said they'd had sex with Craig. Of the four who remained anonymous, one said he'd had sex with Craig.
Following the bathroom scandal, Craig original said he was going to resign from the Senate, but later changed his mind, deciding he would finish out his term, which ends in Jan. 2009. He is also appealing in Minnesota courts to have his guilty plea overturned.
The undercover officer who arrested Craig said the senator moved his foot next to the officer's foot and tapped it in a manner indicating he wanted sex. He also alleged that Craig sent another signal by swiping his hand under the divider between the bathroom stalls. Craig said the officer misconstrued those actions.
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