Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu Comes Out as Gay, After Exposed Plot to Deport His Mexican Lover.

Conservative Arizona sheriff Paul Babeu, who made American headlines by jumping on the anti-illegal immigration bandwagon, was accused of threatening to deport the man, identified only as Jose, if he revealed their relationship.

Jose sent a Phoenix magazine pictures of himself and Mr Babeu embracing, an image of the smiling sheriff in his underwear, and another image that appeared to be of a shirtless Mr Babeu that was posted on a gay dating website,

Mr Babeu did not deny the authenticity of the photos. He did deny the allegations he threatened to deport Jose, saying they were an attempt to hurt his political career. Jose's legal status is unclear.

Mr Babeu resigned from his post as Mr Romney's Arizona state campaign co-chair after the pictures were published over the weekend.

The sheriff had campaigned with Mr Romney, the Republican candidate often accused of being too moderate by the deeply traditional, right-wing conservative party base.(Times)