Most of Jones's political allies broke ties after his departure, though some did not. Willie Brown spoke out against enemies at a rally that was attended by Harvey Milk and Assemblyman Art Agnos. On February 19, 1978, Milk wrote a letter to U.S. President Jimmy Carter defending Jones as "a man of the highest character", and claimed that Temple defectors were trying to "damage Rev. Jones's reputation" with "apparent bold-faced lies". Mayor Moscone's office issued a press release saying Jones had broken no laws.