Sheriff Babeu Denies Quitting Romney Campaign Over Gay Lover's Allegations: I Was Smeared Because I'm a Conservative

On Monday, beleaguered Sheriff Paul Babeu spoke out in a number of interviews, explaining why he resigned from Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and addressing allegations that he was in a relationship with a male illegal immigrant.

The Phoenix New Times published an interview with Babeu’s ex-boyfriend — a Mexican who went simply by the name “José.” In that interview, Jose allegedly outed the Sheriff as gay and claimed Babeu’s lawyer threatened to deport him if he went public about their relationship. Babeu adamantly denied the claims of blackmail and also maintained that his former partner was not in the country illegally.

When asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer why he stepped down from the Romney campaign, Babeu said that he simply has "enough to deal with" right now and didn't want his personal troubles to spill over onto the campaign. He unequivocally stated that his sexual orientation was in no way a part of his decision, nor did the Romney campaign suggest it would pose a problem.

Babeu said he believes the "slanderous, baseless attacks" he is now suffering came about simply because he is a conservative. He also asserted that he has never worn his sexual orientation "on his sleeve" and that he lays his own life on the line to defend a vibrant,  diverse America where people of all walks are celebrated.

"I'm the same Paul Babeu as I was yesterday," he said.

Below are several clips of Blitzer's interview as well as Babeu's in-depth, 16-minute long interview with Mike Broomhead on 550KFYI

The following are clips of Babeu's interview with CNN's Blitzer. Below, Babeu denies allegations of threatening his former boyfriend:

Below, Babeu talks about why he resigned from the Romney campaign:

Babeu talks about his stance on gay marriage. "This is where I go Ron Paul on people.":