BOISE, ID -- Five men have come forward to say they have had sexual encounters with Idaho’s senior senator Larry Craig.  In Sunday’s edition of the Idaho Statesmen four of the men are revealing their names. Senator Craig is denying these allegations.

Two of the accusers' names were released in previous publications when they claimed of having encounters with Craig.  The names of two other men are new, and there's an anonymous fifth accusation from a local man who fears if he releases his name, he faces retaliation.

           In audiotapes they say this.

David Phillips

David Phillips first told his story to Washington DC gossip website, wonkette.  Phillips, an IT man in DC told the website that 20-years ago he had a sexual encounter with Craig.

Mike Jones

Mike Jones, who you may have heard of before for his involvement with the Ted Haggard sex scandal says he took 200 dollars from Craig for sex, more than two years ago.  Jones told the paper he didn't know who Craig was until he saw his first news conference back on August 28th.  Rumors that Jones had met with Craig surfaced in October, but Jones never admitted to having sex with the Senator until now.

Greg Ruth

Greg Ruth who is from Tacoma, Washington says back in 1981 while at a republican conference in Coeur d’Alene Craig, who was a bachelor at the time, followed him into the bathroom and tried to make conversation.  Ruth who was openly gay told the Statesman Craig gave him his number and told him, he could stay with him when he visited Washington DC.

Tom Russell

Tom Russell, a Nampa native who now lives in Utah contacted the Statesman about what he says was unusual behavior from the Senator.  Russell, who was openly gay when he met Craig, says the Senator suggested a meeting and allegedly used signals typical of gay men in public places.

The fifth person who is a gay Boise businessman says that he and Senator Craig were on the same plane from Boise to Denver, when Craig made the same motions to him that he was later arrested for in a Minneapolis airport bathroom.

The Statesman says in its investigation they don't have videos, messages, or a letter from Craig to these men but we need to keep in mind these allegations also cannot be disproved. 

This is the statement Senator Craig released about the Statesman’s allegations.

“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.  Like its previous coverage, these latest allegations are completely false and have no basis in reality.  In fact, the paper itself states that these baseless accusations contain no definitive evidence yet they still decided to print them anyway.  However, 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.”