Title: Sex Arrest Leaves Senator In Limbo
ALGOREismylife - August 28, 2007 06:05 PM (GMT)
http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news/13988490/detail.html#
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Sex Arrest Leaves Senator In Limbo
Idaho's Craig Arrested On Lewd Conduct Charge
POSTED: 2:21 pm HST August 27, 2007
UPDATED: 6:31 am HST August 28, 2007
A conservative Republican senator up for re-election in 2008 is unsure of his future after news of a June arrest was broken Monday.
A court docket said Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, pleaded guilty this month to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after being arrested at the Minneapolis airport.
The docket showed Craig plead guilty to the disorderly conduct charge on Aug. 8, with the court dismissing a charge of gross misdemeanor interference to privacy. Craig was fined $1,000, plus $575 in fees.
Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper that first reported the case, said on its Web site that Craig was arrested June 11 by a plainclothes officer investigating complaints of lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the airport. Craig has a record of voting against gay marriage and opposes extending special protections to gay and lesbian crime victims.
The three-term senator, who has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century, is up for re-election next year. He hasn't said if he will run for a fourth term in 2008 and was expected to announce his plans this fall.
A spokesman, Sidney Smith, was uncertain late Monday if Craig's guilty plea would affect his re-election plans.
"It's too early to talk about anything about that," Smith said.
Jasper LiCalzi, a political science professor at Albertson College of Idaho in Caldwell, said that there's a chance Craig would have to resign, citing the House page scandal that drove Florida Rep. Mark Foley from office.
"With the pressure on the Republican Party, he could be pressured to resign," LiCalzi said. "If they think this is going to be something that's the same as Mark Foley -- the sort of 'drip, drip, drip, there's more information that's going to come out' -- they may try to push him out."
A statement from Craig issued by his office said he should not have entered a guilty plea.
"At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions. I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct," the statement read. "I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."
Craig has been a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, serving as a Senate liaison for the campaign since February. According to Romney's Web site, Craig has stepped down from his role with the campaign.
As word spread of Craig's guilty plea, a Romney campaign spokesman said Craig stepped down so as not to be a "distraction" to the campaign.
TheHawaiiChannel.com
Survey: Should He Resign?
http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/surveypopu...ail.html?p=news
Sex Arrest Leaves Senator In Limbo
Idaho's Craig Arrested On Lewd Conduct Charge
POSTED: 2:21 pm HST August 27, 2007
UPDATED: 6:31 am HST August 28, 2007
A conservative Republican senator up for re-election in 2008 is unsure of his future after news of a June arrest was broken Monday.
A court docket said Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, pleaded guilty this month to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after being arrested at the Minneapolis airport.
The docket showed Craig plead guilty to the disorderly conduct charge on Aug. 8, with the court dismissing a charge of gross misdemeanor interference to privacy. Craig was fined $1,000, plus $575 in fees.
Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper that first reported the case, said on its Web site that Craig was arrested June 11 by a plainclothes officer investigating complaints of lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the airport. Craig has a record of voting against gay marriage and opposes extending special protections to gay and lesbian crime victims.
The three-term senator, who has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century, is up for re-election next year. He hasn't said if he will run for a fourth term in 2008 and was expected to announce his plans this fall.
A spokesman, Sidney Smith, was uncertain late Monday if Craig's guilty plea would affect his re-election plans.
"It's too early to talk about anything about that," Smith said.
Jasper LiCalzi, a political science professor at Albertson College of Idaho in Caldwell, said that there's a chance Craig would have to resign, citing the House page scandal that drove Florida Rep. Mark Foley from office.
"With the pressure on the Republican Party, he could be pressured to resign," LiCalzi said. "If they think this is going to be something that's the same as Mark Foley -- the sort of 'drip, drip, drip, there's more information that's going to come out' -- they may try to push him out."
A statement from Craig issued by his office said he should not have entered a guilty plea.
"At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions. I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct," the statement read. "I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."
Craig has been a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, serving as a Senate liaison for the campaign since February. According to Romney's Web site, Craig has stepped down from his role with the campaign.
As word spread of Craig's guilty plea, a Romney campaign spokesman said Craig stepped down so as not to be a "distraction" to the campaign.
Wayne in WA State - August 28, 2007 06:30 PM (GMT)
GOP = Gross Old Perverts :tongue:
ALGOREismylife - August 28, 2007 11:13 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (Wayne in WA State @ Aug 28 2007, 12:30 PM) |
| GOP = Gross Old Perverts :tongue: |
:clap: :clap: :clap:
I like that one, I could come up with alot of good ones describing the GOP. :lol:
ALGOREismylife - September 1, 2007 05:34 PM (GMT)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070901/ap_on_...yfJ2ctRTkSs0NUE
Craig resigns over sex sting
By JOHN MILLER and MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writers
Idaho Sen. Larry Craig resigned Saturday over a men's room sex sting, bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans worried about a scandal dimming their election prospects.
"I apologize for what I have caused," Craig said.
Craig's resignation completed a stunning downfall that began Monday with the disclosure that he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge following his arrest during a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport men's room.
Although leading members of his own party had called for him to step down, Craig steadfastly resisted resigning for days, contending that he had done nothing wrong and that his only mistake was pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said from Kentucky that Craig "made a difficult decision, but the right one. "
"It is my hope he will be remembered not for this, but for his three decades of dedicated public service," McConnell said. McConnell had been one of Craig's harshest critics, calling his actions "unforgivable."
He and other GOP leaders asked Craig to give up his senior positions on Senate committees on Wednesday, a day after they asked the Senate ethics committee to investigate his actions.
Craig spokesman Sidney Smith said he didn't know if Craig would return to Washington.
"We haven't decided that yet, whether he's going to return or not," Smith said.
Craig was defiant after the arrest and guilty plea were first reported. "I am not gay. I never have been gay," he declared Tuesday in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Suzanne, at his side. He said he had kept the incident from aides, friends and family and pleaded guilty "in hopes of making it go away."
Craig, 62, represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century and was up for re-election next year. He had not said if he would run for a fourth term in 2008 and had been expected to announce his plans this fall.
"It is with sadness and deep regret that I announce it is my intent to resign from the Senate effective Sept. 30," Craig said, with his wife again at his side and Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter standing behind him.
"For any public official at this moment in time to be standing with Larry Craig is in itself a humbling experience," Craig said.
Craig was arrested June 11 in a police undercover vice operation in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport. The arresting officer, Sgt. Dave Karsnia, said in his report that the restroom is a known location for homosexual activity.
"I am not gay. I never have been gay," Craig said at a news conference here Tuesday, a day after his guilty plea became public.
Republicans, worried about the scandal's effect on next year's election, suffered a further setback Friday when veteran Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia announced he will retire rather than seek a sixth term. Democrats captured Virginia's other Senate seat from the GOP in the 2006 election.
Otter said Saturday he has not chosen a replacement, although several Republicans familiar with internal deliberations said he favored Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch. He called speculation that he has made a choice "dead wrong."
Otter declined to say when he would fill the seat.
Craig opposes gay marriage and has a strong record against gay rights. He was a leading voice in the Senate on gun issues and Western lands. Craig chaired the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and was a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, where he was adept at securing federal money for Idaho projects.
A fiscal and social conservative, Craig sometimes broke with his party, notably on immigration, where he pushed changes that many in his party said offered "amnesty" to illegal immigrants. Much of the impetus behind Craig's push to ease bureaucratic hurdles to immigrant farm workers stemmed from his background as a rancher and the state's large rural, farming community.
Craig has faced rumors about his sexuality since the 1980s. He has called assertions that he has engaged in gay sex ridiculous.
"I have little control over what people choose to believe," he said Saturday. "But clearly my name is important to me and my family is so very important also."
Craig said pursuing legal efforts to clear his name "would be an unwanted and unfair distraction from my job and for my Senate colleagues. The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issues of our state and of our nation."
Craig resigns over sex sting
By JOHN MILLER and MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writers
Idaho Sen. Larry Craig resigned Saturday over a men's room sex sting, bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans worried about a scandal dimming their election prospects.
"I apologize for what I have caused," Craig said.
Craig's resignation completed a stunning downfall that began Monday with the disclosure that he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge following his arrest during a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport men's room.
Although leading members of his own party had called for him to step down, Craig steadfastly resisted resigning for days, contending that he had done nothing wrong and that his only mistake was pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said from Kentucky that Craig "made a difficult decision, but the right one. "
"It is my hope he will be remembered not for this, but for his three decades of dedicated public service," McConnell said. McConnell had been one of Craig's harshest critics, calling his actions "unforgivable."
He and other GOP leaders asked Craig to give up his senior positions on Senate committees on Wednesday, a day after they asked the Senate ethics committee to investigate his actions.
Craig spokesman Sidney Smith said he didn't know if Craig would return to Washington.
"We haven't decided that yet, whether he's going to return or not," Smith said.
Craig was defiant after the arrest and guilty plea were first reported. "I am not gay. I never have been gay," he declared Tuesday in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Suzanne, at his side. He said he had kept the incident from aides, friends and family and pleaded guilty "in hopes of making it go away."
Craig, 62, represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century and was up for re-election next year. He had not said if he would run for a fourth term in 2008 and had been expected to announce his plans this fall.
"It is with sadness and deep regret that I announce it is my intent to resign from the Senate effective Sept. 30," Craig said, with his wife again at his side and Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter standing behind him.
"For any public official at this moment in time to be standing with Larry Craig is in itself a humbling experience," Craig said.
Craig was arrested June 11 in a police undercover vice operation in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport. The arresting officer, Sgt. Dave Karsnia, said in his report that the restroom is a known location for homosexual activity.
"I am not gay. I never have been gay," Craig said at a news conference here Tuesday, a day after his guilty plea became public.
Republicans, worried about the scandal's effect on next year's election, suffered a further setback Friday when veteran Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia announced he will retire rather than seek a sixth term. Democrats captured Virginia's other Senate seat from the GOP in the 2006 election.
Otter said Saturday he has not chosen a replacement, although several Republicans familiar with internal deliberations said he favored Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch. He called speculation that he has made a choice "dead wrong."
Otter declined to say when he would fill the seat.
Craig opposes gay marriage and has a strong record against gay rights. He was a leading voice in the Senate on gun issues and Western lands. Craig chaired the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and was a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, where he was adept at securing federal money for Idaho projects.
A fiscal and social conservative, Craig sometimes broke with his party, notably on immigration, where he pushed changes that many in his party said offered "amnesty" to illegal immigrants. Much of the impetus behind Craig's push to ease bureaucratic hurdles to immigrant farm workers stemmed from his background as a rancher and the state's large rural, farming community.
Craig has faced rumors about his sexuality since the 1980s. He has called assertions that he has engaged in gay sex ridiculous.
"I have little control over what people choose to believe," he said Saturday. "But clearly my name is important to me and my family is so very important also."
Craig said pursuing legal efforts to clear his name "would be an unwanted and unfair distraction from my job and for my Senate colleagues. The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issues of our state and of our nation."
ALGOREismylife - September 18, 2007 06:06 PM (GMT)
Sounds like ALL republicans.
Reverend Wally - September 19, 2007 04:45 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (ALGOREismylife @ Sep 1 2007, 01:34 PM) |
| Craig said pursuing legal efforts to clear his name "would be an unwanted and unfair distraction from my job and for my Senate colleagues. The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issues of our state and of our nation." |
Oh ....
Except for when he wants to take a homo-break
:P