One of the rising
stars of evangelical Christian politics resigns after
allegations that he had sex with a man. More than a year
later, a conservative U.S. senator is embroiled in a
similar scandal.
The allegations
against the Reverend Ted Haggard and Sen. Larry Craig
have a common thread: A 50-year-old former prostitute from
Denver named Mike Jones claims he had sex with both.
''I'll put my
credibility up against Larry Craig's,'' Jones told the
Associated Press on Monday. ''Here's a man that doesn't know
the difference between innocence and guilty.... I
think people know he's been a liar. And more than a
liar, so much in denial."
Craig maintains
he is not gay and has denied the latest allegations. His
spokesman called Jones a liar who is trying to sell a book
about his involvement with Haggard.
Jones is among
eight men quoted in the Idaho Statesman
newspaper, alleging sexual encounters with the Republican
senator. Jones was among four men who agreed to be
identified by name.
Craig is fighting
to keep his seat after pleading guilty in August to
disorderly conduct after being accused by an undercover
officer of soliciting sex at the Minneapolis-St. Paul
airport.
Jones told the
Statesman that Craig paid him $200 to have sex
in Denver on a night between November 2004 and March
2005.
The newspaper
reported Craig was in Denver on February 11, 2005, and in
the ski resort of Keystone, Color., on February 12, and his
Senate travel records showed six other trips where he
may have had layovers in Denver in that time.
Jones said Monday
he did not know who Craig was at the time of their
encounter. He said he made the connection only when he saw
Craig speak at a televised news conference.
Craig gave no
other indication of his identity, where he was from, or why
he was in Denver, Jones said.
In November 2006,
Jones aired allegations of a three-year cash-for-sex
relationship with Haggard and that Haggard used
methamphetamine.
Fired from New
Life Church in Colorado Springs, Haggard resigned as
president of the National Association of Evangelicals. He
confessed to undisclosed ''sexual immorality'' and
said he bought meth but never used it.
A year ago, Jones
said, he saw Haggard on TV and suddenly recognized him
as a client.
Jones said that
it was no surprise to him that he had crossed paths with
both Haggard and Craig -- the body builder advertised his
massage services on Rentboy.com and in gay
publications.
''It's not like
these are the only two high-profile guys I saw,'' he
said. ''But I've never heard the others speak ill about the
homosexual community or about being gay, so I have no
reason to say anything about them.''
Jones portrayed
himself as a reluctant whistle-blower.
He said that if
he were just trying to sell more books, he could have
gone public at the height of the Craig scandal, which would
have been closer to his book release in June.
Jones said he
only contacted the newspaper after Craig reneged on plans
to resign. And then, Jones said, he only agreed to take his
story public if other men came forward, so he wouldn't
be standing alone.
But some question
Jones's account about Craig, including Mike Rogers, an
Internet-based activist who had a hand in outing several
Republican politicians, including former congressman
Mark Foley.
While Rogers said
he does not know enough to pass judgment on Jones's
account, he noted that in the Haggard case, Jones had
evidence, including taped phone conversations with
Haggard. Jones has not revealed similar evidence with
Craig, and the senator's travel records are public record,
Rogers said.
''What are the
odds?'' Rogers said. ''It's not like [Jones] is the
hustler to the stars in New York.... In situations like
this, a lot of folks come out of the
woodwork.'' (Eric Gorski, AP)
