Outside the Beltway

high-resolution photo of acceptance, alphabet, bisexual, blur, close up, colorful, culture, equality, focus, gay, gay pride, gay wallpaper, gender, gender identity, hands, holding, individuality, lesbian, letters, lgbt, lgbt wallpaper, lgbtq, LGBTQIA, pride month, queer, rainbow colors, transgender
Image in CC0 Public Domain

The Ted Haggard Affair

Steve Verdon
23

Comments

Well, there is some new information via Ed Brayton. Brayton concludes that Haggard is lying through his teeth and that the story is pretty much true at this point.

From the Rocky Mountain News article we have,

Embattled minister Ted Haggard this morning admitted receiving a massage from the Denver man who claims to have exchanged sex for money with the Colorado Springs church leader for three years.

From a local news source,

Haggard says he bought the meth from a gay escort, 49-year-old Michael Jones, after contacting him for a massage.
Haggard says he never used the meth and instead threw it away.

However, Haggard could not remember where he threw the meth away.

According to Haggard, he met with Jones in a Denver hotel room.

Haggard admitted it was his voice on the voice mail messages left on Jones’ phone.

Haggard is claiming he bought the meth out of curiousity–i.e. temptation–but that he never used it. However, as Ed Brayton points out the phone conversation doesn’t seem to fit this story,

“Hi Mike, this is Art. Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply. And I could pick it up really anytime I could get it tomorrow or we could wait till next week sometime and so I also wanted to get your address.”

I agree with Brayton that it sounds more like a guy going to his regular supplier looking for a refill. So the idea that he bought meth out of curiousity and didn’t use it is indeed highly suspect. This in turn leads me to question the veracity of the rest of the statements by Haggard concerning the sexual activity.

My guess is that the allegations are substantially true even though Jones did fail the polygraph test (note that the examiner for the test felt that the stress and lack of food and sleep could make the test results questionable).

UPDATE (James Joyner): Confirmation on the meth:

The Rev. Ted Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals and one of the nation’s most influential Christian leaders, admitted today that he had purchased the illegal drug methamphetamine from a gay escort in Denver, but denied that he ever had sex with the man.

And, frankly, polygraphs don’t mean squat.

Categories

, , ,

Tags

,

23 responses to “The Ted Haggard Affair”

  1. Anderson Avatar
    Anderson

    I believe Haggard about the meth. It was obviously a ruse to initiate sexual contact.

  2. Cornfields Avatar
    Cornfields

    Meth is very common among among gay men who hook up for casual sex… it is also hardly the behavior of someone who slipped just once…

    nevertheless, the real stories today deal with nuclear secrets… the continuing problems at Los Alamos and the idiocy of posting Iraqi WMD docs on the net. We have essentially given out to every country in the world detailed plans for building nuclear triggers etc… there is no way to take this back.

    You know, I don’t think the problem with the MSM is so much bias, as it is laziness and utter incompetence. I think the journalism schools are doing to reporting, what education classes have done to teaching (ie attracting the lowest and the least).

    Win or lose this election should be about real issues… not Kerry acting like a pompous moron (how unexpected!) or another Evangelical leader caught in some sexual scandal (how unexpected!)

    This is no way to run the greatest country on Earth.

  3. Alex Knapp Avatar
    Alex Knapp

    I wouldn’t give a moment’s credence to Jones’ failing the polygraph test. Polygraphs are notoriously unreliable and on the scientific scale rank somewhere between astrology and chiropracty.

  4. anjin-san Avatar
    anjin-san

    The idea that a responsible, high-profile adult would just suddenly decide to do something as risk laden as buying meth out of “curiosity” is laughable.

    If Haggard actually has a drug problem, I have some compassion for him as I have been down that road myself. But the “do as I say, not as I do” type of moral leadership he has displayed” should earn him the contempt of his followers.

  5. Anderson Avatar
    Anderson

    So maybe he’s a dope addict but not gay?

    I guess that’s an improvement for him, at least insofar as it would also make him not an adulterer.

  6. Triumph Avatar
    Triumph

    So maybe he’s a dope addict but not gay?

    Remember that he has admitted to getting the massage. Why would you go to a prostitute just for a “massage”?

  7. DC Loser Avatar
    DC Loser

    That’s funny, using Clinton’s “I didn’t inhale” defense.

  8. Anderson Avatar
    Anderson

    Remember that he has admitted to getting the massage. Why would you go to a prostitute just for a “massage”?

    Some masseuses double as hookers, but not every such masseuse turns a trick w/ every client.

    Of course, we don’t yet know what body part was being massaged, or how.

  9. Pug Avatar
    Pug

    I don’t think this is that unusual. I buy crank and get massages from gay prostitutes all the time (hope my wife doesn’t find out).

    The only difference between me and Haggard is I don’t get to call the White House every Monday morning.

  10. vnjagvet Avatar
    vnjagvet

    Anderson has skillfully pointed out the “literal truth” denial dodge.

    The good Pastor Haggard is in need of serious spiritual counseling. He will likely admit himself into a “treatment facility” in the near future. Any one wanna take bets?

  11. Steve Verdon Avatar
    Steve Verdon

    The good Pastor Haggard is in need of serious spiritual counseling. He will likely admit himself into a “treatment facility” in the near future. Any one wanna take bets?

    No. That strategy is S.O.P. these days.

  12. civilbehavior Avatar
    civilbehavior

    THIS FROM THE FAMILY VALUES PARTY OF THE EVANGELICAL RIGHT……..

    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

    oH, GOD, can republicans dare show their face at the voting booths and hold their nose and totally reject their conscience concerning everything from war, to education, to the economy, to “family values?….YEP, just watch how many will……

    sick, sick, sick………..

  13. c'mon now Avatar
    c’mon now

    Ted Haggard has 1460 news articles about him.

    http://news.google.com/nwshp?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wn&ncl=http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/nation/15924898.htm

    Meanwhile notorious creationist Kent Hovind’s conviction yesterday for tax fraud goes virtually unnoticed. Only 31 stories.

    http://news.google.com/nwshp?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wn&q=hovind

    More about Hovind:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Hovind

  14. markie Avatar
    markie

    america has bigger fish to fry. this gay shit will be moot in the next generation. get over it and get on with returning the shine to this land.

  15. George Maschke Avatar
    George Maschke

    Indeed, polygraphs don’t mean squat, although the myth of the lie detector remains entrenched in American popular culture. See AntiPolygraph.org for a thorough debunking.

  16. Triumph Avatar
    Triumph

    Some masseuses double as hookers, but not every such masseuse turns a trick w/ every client.

    Of course, we don’t yet know what body part was being massaged, or how.

    Yes, but remember Haggard’s story. He claims he asked the Denver hotel to hook him up with a massage.

    If you are hetero and some dude comes to the door to give you a massage, I would think you would say, “sorry, buddy, bring me a dame.”

    Of course, Haggard sets off the gaydar big time, so for him to even deny his sexuality is pretty absurd.

  17. floyd Avatar
    floyd

    quote”The Rev. Ted Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals and one of the nation’s most influential Christian leaders,” unquote…[1]who says??…for many years, I’ve been one of those Christians that the left diparagingly calls an “evangelical fundamentalist” , and I’ve never even heard of the guy; let alone been “influenced” by him.[2] ** The big gripe is that evangelicals are bigoted homophobic scum. this guy buddies up with a perfectly nice homosexual prostitute, drug-dealer; and look who gets all judgemental**[lol]

  18. Anderson Avatar
    Anderson

    Floyd, I think there may be quite a few influential people whom you and I haven’t heard of.

  19. Mickey Avatar
    Mickey

    It’s not hypocritical to be against something that you are personally struggling with. You, better than most people, would clearly understand the devestating effects of it and wish to save others from the struggle and pain that you are going through. What I do find hypocritical is liberals who condemn the behavior. No christian says they are perfect. Jesus is perfect and we are forgiven. Christians struggle every day with sin, just as everyone else does. I don’t hear Christians denying that they sin, they only agree with God that sin is wrong. I find it even more hypocritical that those who tend to support sin in nearly every form, from murder of the unborn to every kind of sexual deviation, should condemn someone who is found to have succumbed to these so-called acceptable behaviors. That is real hypocricy! I will continue to pray for Ted Haggard, he has my sympathy and my grace.

Latest Posts