“He Was A Pervert…He Was A Lowlife…What Does it Say About Us As A Country?” – With Video
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A New York congressman says Michael Jackson was a “pervert” and calls on society to stop “glorifying” the late entertainer in a YouTube video.
Rep. Peter King said Jackson — whom he called a “low-life” — is being glorified in the days after his death while society ignores the efforts, of teachers, police officers, firefighters and veterans. In the two-minute video, King claims the “day in and day out” coverage of Jackson’s death is “too politically correct.”
“Let’s knock out the psychobabble,” King said in the video taped outside an American Legion Hall on New York’s Long Island. “He was a pervert, a child molester; he was a pedophile. And to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what does it say about us as a country? I just think we’re too politically correct.”
King, a Republican who is among the possible contenders for the seat held by Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, said Jackson “may have been a good singer” and “did some dancing,” but blasted the singer as someone who could not be trusted around children.
“There’s nothing good to say about this guy,” King continued. “But the bottom line is, would you let your child or grandchild be in the same room as Michael Jackson?”
Calls placed to King early Monday were not immediately returned.
In 2005, Jackson was acquitted of molesting a boy who spent time at his Neverland ranch and appeared with him in the 2003 British documentary, “Living With Michael Jackson.” The entertainer had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him.
Earlier, in 1993, Jackson was accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy’s family — reported to be $20 million — and criminal charges were never filed.
Stacy Brown, co-author of “Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask,” said King’s comments were “irresponsible and insensitive” despite the fact he too thought Jackson had molested children.
“I’m not surprised that someone would feel that way,” Brown told FOXNews.com. “I’m surprised that you would get a public official to say that. Let’s face it, I’m not one to believe that Michael was innocent of molesting children, but he was never convicted. If he was convicted of those crimes, then hey, I’d have to agree with him.”
Brown said the molestation allegations against Jackson were “devastating,” professionally and personally.
“In hindsight, it was the beginning of the end of his life because I don’t think he ever recovered,” he said. “This was a guy who spent most of his life protecting his privacy and that was shattered, obliterated during the trial [in 2005]. He was undressed during that trial.”
Jackson had partially “recovered” from allegations of molestation during the 1990s, Brown said, in part due to his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley and the birth of his children. Still, some previous fans of Jackson had grown tired of the controversy surrounding the singer.
“He lost a lot of his adult audience, people who grew weary of the weirdness,” Brown said. “But he reached far and wide and was able to sell 750,000 tickets for this comeback tour. Americans particularly and the world in general loves a comeback story.”
Brown continued, “There was no one else like Michael Jackson. He was Elvis, the Rolling Stones, Sinatra and the Bealtes all rolled into one.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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