Another headline they don't want to see: Top evangelical denies gay affair

By Lee Russ

Thursday, November 02, 2006 at 02:15 PM

Unproven as yet, but far from incredible, the Denver Post is reporting that a male prostitute has told a local television station that "he has had a three-year sexual business relationship with" Ted Haggard, "founder and senior leader of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs and president of the multimillion- member National Association of Evangelicals."

In response, "Haggard said he's not sure if the claim is election-year politics," and "I've never had a gay relationship with anybody. ... I am steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife. I don't know if this is election-year politics or if this has to do with the marriage amendment or what it is."

The church is planning to investigate.

In response to the inevitable claim from the right that this is a deliberate bomb from the accuser just days before the election, the story notes that the prostitute first brought his claims to the station's attention some two months ago.