Lai's press conference generated a storm of controversy. Cheng denied Lai's claim, and insisted that he was performing qigong massage on Yang's daughter, and absolutely did not commit or intend to commit any sexual crime. He also claimed that the whole incident was manufactured to attempt to remove him from his position.
賴勁麟記者會引起輿論譁然，程泉亦鄭重否認賴所言事件始末，堅稱當時是為楊女進行穴道推拿，絕無強暴之事或意圖，他並指出整個事件的目的是要拉他下台。