ANOTHER RITA COSBY EXCLUSIVE WITH MIKE JONES
Mike Jones
MSNBC's Rita Cosby interviewed Mike Jones, a gay escort from Denver who alleges he had sex with Rev. Ted Haggard, the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals.
Rita Cosby MSNBC
I just finished speaking with Mike Jones in his first national television interview.
Jones, a former gay male escort, is making shocking allegations. Jones says that Rev. Ted Haggard, the well-known head of the 30-million member National Association of Evangelicals, came to him for sex and methamphetamines on multiple occasions over a three-year period. Rev. Haggard resigned from his position in his church Thursday after Jones first made the accusations.
Just minutes before my interview with Mike Jones, Rev. Haggard admitted to the media on camera that he bought methamphetamines from Jones one time after meeting Jones in a Denver hotel room for a massage... but he denied ever having sex with Jones.
Regarding Jones, Rev. Haggard told NBC affiliate KUSA, "I did call him, to buy some meth, but I threw it away. I was buying for me, but I never used it."
In his first reaction to Rev. Haggard's new comments, Jones told me, "Well, that just doesn't make sense. He was trying to be so secretive," he told me, "and so I never met him at a hotel room. He always came to my place." Jones also claimed that he did not sell the evangelical leader methamphetamines...instead Jones says Rev. Haggard asked for meth and he put him in touch with someone who could provide the drug.
Jones also told me that his relationship with Rev. Haggard was purely "business" and that they met "for roughly once a month for three years." Jones also claimed that he physically saw first-hand Rev. Haggard snort methamphetamines before most of their sexual encounters.
Jones told me he has two voicemails on his phone and showed me, and all of you watching at home, an envelope from "Art," Rev. Haggard's middle name and the name Jones says he used during their meetings. In fact, Jones says he didn't know who "Art" really was until six month ago when he saw him on television.
Jones speculated that Rev. Haggard admitted publicly to portions of his allegations because he believes he has heard his own voice in the voicemails. "Yesterday he was denying he even knew me," he told me. "The only reason he really came forward was he finally heard the voicemails, and it was his voice and he has to admit it."
However, many are speculating about the timing of Jones's allegations... only five days before these crucial midterm elections. Jones claimed that he made the decision to come forward on his own accord. "I didn't consult my friends or anybody. No organization, no group did I consult with," he explained.
When I asked Jones what he wanted to say to Rev. Haggard at this time, he told me, "I wish the best for him, but I owe this to the gay community that has to put up with hypocrisy from the religious right because they want all the benefits in life, but they don't want the gay community to have the same thing, and it's simply wrong."
Ever since Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004, Rev. Haggard and other have organized state-by-state opposition to the practice. In fact, next Tuesday, voters in Rev. Haggard's home state of Colorado will cast their ballots for an amendment to ban gay marriage.
Just minutes before my interview with Mike Jones, Rev. Haggard admitted to the media on camera that he bought methamphetamines from Jones one time after meeting Jones in a Denver hotel room for a massage... but he denied ever having sex with Jones.
Regarding Jones, Rev. Haggard told NBC affiliate KUSA, "I did call him, to buy some meth, but I threw it away. I was buying for me, but I never used it."
In his first reaction to Rev. Haggard's new comments, Jones told me, "Well, that just doesn't make sense. He was trying to be so secretive," he told me, "and so I never met him at a hotel room. He always came to my place." Jones also claimed that he did not sell the evangelical leader methamphetamines...instead Jones says Rev. Haggard asked for meth and he put him in touch with someone who could provide the drug.
Jones also told me that his relationship with Rev. Haggard was purely "business" and that they met "for roughly once a month for three years." Jones also claimed that he physically saw first-hand Rev. Haggard snort methamphetamines before most of their sexual encounters.
Jones told me he has two voicemails on his phone and showed me, and all of you watching at home, an envelope from "Art," Rev. Haggard's middle name and the name Jones says he used during their meetings. In fact, Jones says he didn't know who "Art" really was until six month ago when he saw him on television.
Jones speculated that Rev. Haggard admitted publicly to portions of his allegations because he believes he has heard his own voice in the voicemails. "Yesterday he was denying he even knew me," he told me. "The only reason he really came forward was he finally heard the voicemails, and it was his voice and he has to admit it."
However, many are speculating about the timing of Jones's allegations... only five days before these crucial midterm elections. Jones claimed that he made the decision to come forward on his own accord. "I didn't consult my friends or anybody. No organization, no group did I consult with," he explained.
When I asked Jones what he wanted to say to Rev. Haggard at this time, he told me, "I wish the best for him, but I owe this to the gay community that has to put up with hypocrisy from the religious right because they want all the benefits in life, but they don't want the gay community to have the same thing, and it's simply wrong."
Ever since Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004, Rev. Haggard and other have organized state-by-state opposition to the practice. In fact, next Tuesday, voters in Rev. Haggard's home state of Colorado will cast their ballots for an amendment to ban gay marriage.
COURTESY MSNBC-RITA COSBY SPECIALS
Read the interview at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15548975/
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