The interview took place on Christmas day at a hotel in Los Angeles, according to CBS. 60 Minutes veteran Ed Bradley sat down with Jackson for a half an hour.  Portions of the interview have leaked out to the press. As expected Jackson claims he is innocent of the charges against him. 

When asked by Bradley if he felt it was still ok to sleep with children despite the charges against him, Jackson answered, "of course."

He added, "why not? If you're going to be a pedophile, if you're going to be Jack the Ripper, if you're going to be a murderer, it's not a good idea. That I am not.

"Before I would hurt a child, I would slit my wrists."

Jackson also said that because of the police search of his Neverland Ranch estate, he feels violated, and will never live there again.

Jackson was formally charged on December 18th with nine counts of molesting a boy under the age of 14. The charges brought by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney include seven “lewd acts”. 

Apart from the “lewd act” charges, Jackson is also accused of administering an “intoxicating agent” to a minor “with intent” to “enable and assist” the execution of a felony (child molestation). 

Jackson’s attorney, Mark Geragos, spoke with the press shortly after the charges were filed and said that they were a “shakedown” motivated by "greed and revenge" and insisted that based upon the complaint that was filed he would prove that “Michael Jackson is absolutely, unequivocally innocent of these charges". 

"Michael Jackson is going to fight these charges with every fiber of his soul," Geragos said. "He is strong and he is defiant as he should be." 

CBS now plans to go forward with the airing of a special on Jackson, "Michael Jackson Number Ones" on Jan. 2. The network pulled the plug on the special soon after the police raided his estate. 

Some question why CBS has decided to go along with the special. There is speculation in some circles that Jackson agreed to speak with 60 Minutes in exchange for the network airing the special. 

"We felt we couldn't broadcast an entertainment special while Mr. Jackson faced such serious charges," CBS spokesman Chris Ender said on Friday, according to the Washington Post. "We wouldn't have rescheduled it if he hadn't sat down and answered the questions with Ed Bradley. To air an entertainment special while he's facing serious charges would sort of be to ignore the elephant in the room."

Producers of 60 Minutes deny that was the case and said they have been trying to get an interview with Jackson for over a year. 

Related stories on the case:
Jackson Charged with 9 Counts of Child Molestation.
Michael Jackson Staffer With Accuser During Interview
Prosecutors Going Forward With Jackson Case, Leaked Memo Insignificant
Previous Michael Jackson Probe Said Allegations 'Unfounded'

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