Four men say they either had sex with Sen. Larry Craig or were the target of a sexual advance by the Idaho Republican at various times during his political career, the Idaho Statesman reported Sunday.
The newspaper identified all four men and reported details of the encounters they say involved Craig. It also reported the accounts of four other men who declined to be identified in the story, but described various sexual advances or encounters with the conservative Republican.
The newspaper acknowledged that the story was not based on any definitive evidence, instead relying on "he said, he said" accounts. An investigation, including a review of travel and property records and background checks, found no evidence to disprove the accounts of the four identified men, the newspaper reported.
Craig and members of his staff declined to comment in the newspaper report.
In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Sunday, the senator said the latest allegations are "completely false" and he accused the paper of practicing a careless brand of journalism.
"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," Craig said in the statement.
"Despite the fact 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."
The story is the Statesman's latest on Craig's sexual background after his June arrest in an airport men's room sex sting operation was reported in late August. Craig, 62, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after being accused by an undercover officer of soliciting sex in a bathroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
Shortly after news of his guilty plea surfaced, Craig denied he was gay in a press conference in Boise, and days later, amid pressure from top GOP leaders in Washington D.C., announced his intent to resign from the Senate.
But Craig later changed his mind, deciding instead he could still be an effective lawmaker and to finish out his term, which expires in January 2009. He is also arguing in Minnesota courts to have his guilty plea overturned.
Statesman Editor Vicki Gowler said the newspaper spent several months checking the backgrounds and details of the men's stories.
"We believe it's important for you to know what we've learned and to hear the men's own words," Gowler said.
The men identified in the report are: David Phillips, 42, of Washington, D.C.; Mike Jones, 50, Denver; Greg Ruth, 50, of Washington D.C., and Tom Russell, 48, Utah.
Jones, described as a former male escort, was the focus of the sex scandal involving Rev. Ted Haggard, the disgraced leader of the Colorado Springs-based New Life Church and former president of the National Association of Evangelicals.