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Craig says 'I am not gay,' did no wrong
By Todd Dvorak
Associated Press
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BOISE, Idaho -- Under fire from leaders of his own party, Idaho Sen. Larry Craig on Tuesday the only thing he had done wrong was to plead guilty after a police complaint of lewd conduct in a men's room. He declared, "I am not gay. I never have been gay."

"I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport," he said at a news conference with his wife, Suzanne, at his side.

Craig's defiant stance came as Senate Republican leaders in Washington called for an ethics committee review into his involvement in a police sting operation this summer in the airport men's room.

"In the meantime, the leadership is examining other aspects of the case to see if additional action is required," Sen. Mitch McConnell and other top GOP lawmakers said in a written statement.

A private group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, also filed a complaint with the ethics committee seeking an investigation into whether Craig violated Senate rules by engaging in disorderly conduct.

Craig entered his plea several weeks after an undercover police officer in the airport arrested him and issued a complaint that said the three-term senator had engaged in actions "often used by persons communicating a desire to engage in sexual conduct."

Craig said he has hired a lawyer and will ask him to review the case.

The airport incident occurred June 11. Craig signed his plea papers on Aug. 1, and word of the events surfaced Monday. The senator issued a statement Monday night that said, "In hindsight, I should have pled not guilty."

He repeated that assertion at the Idaho news conference. "In June, I overreacted and made a poor decision," he said. "I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge in hopes of making it go away."

Craig was at times defiant, at others apologetic on Tuesday.

"Please let me apologize to my family, friends and staff and fellow Idahoans for the cloud placed over Idaho," he said. "I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport. I did nothing wrong, and I regret the decision to plead guilty and the sadness that decision has brought on my wife, on my family, friends, staff and fellow Idahoans."

The conservative three-term senator, who has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century, is up for re-election next year. He said he would announce next month whether he would run again and suggested he still considers himself a politician with a future.

"Over the years, I have accomplished a lot for Idaho, and I hope Idahoans will allow me to continue to do that. There are still goals I would like to accomplish. And I believe I can still be an effective leader for our state," he said.

Craig, who has voted against gay marriage, finds his political future in doubt because of the case, which has drawn national attention.

Craig, 62, has faced rumors about his sexuality since the 1980s, but allegations that he had engaged in gay sex have never been substantiated. Craig has denied the assertions.

Trying to put his actions "in context," Craig lashed out at the Idaho Statesman, which published a lengthy article Tuesday on its investigation into the senator's actions.

The scandal had already taken a political toll. On Monday, Craig resigned from a prominent role with Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. He had been one of Romney's top Senate supporters, serving as a liaison for the campaign since February.

Asked about Craig, Romney said, "He's disappointed the American people."

"Yeah, I think it reminds us of Mark Foley and Bill Clinton. I think it reminds us of the fact that people who are elected to public office continue to disappoint, and they somehow think that if they vote the right way on issues of significance or they can speak a good game, that we'll just forgive and forget," Romney said on CNBC's "Kudlow & Company."

Foley is a former Republican lawmaker who resigned nearly a year ago after being confronted with the computer messages he sent to male teenage pages who had worked on Capitol Hill. Clinton is the former president accused in congressional impeachment proceedings of lying about an affair with a White House intern.

According to a Hennepin County, Minn., court docket, Craig pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge on Aug. 8, with the court dismissing a charge of gross misdemeanor interference to privacy.

The court docket said Craig paid $575 in fines and fees and was put on unsupervised probation for a year. A sentence of 10 days in the county workhouse was stayed.

According to the prosecutor's complaint, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, airport police Sgt. Dave Karsnia, who was investigating allegations of sexual conduct in airport restrooms, went into a stall shortly after noon on June 11 and closed the door.

Minutes later, the officer said he saw Craig gazing into his stall through the crack between the door and the frame.

After a man in the adjacent stall left, Craig entered it and put his roller bag against the front of the stall door, "which Sgt. Karsnia's experience has indicated is used to attempt to conceal sexual conduct by blocking the view from the front of the stall," said the complaint, which was dated June 25.

The complaint said Craig then tapped his right foot several times and moved it closer to Karsnia's stall and then moved it to where it touched Karsnia's foot. Karsnia recognized that "as a signal often used by persons communicating a desire to engage in sexual conduct," the complaint said.

Craig then passed his left hand under the stall divider into Karsnia's stall with his palms up and guided it along the divider toward the front of the stall three times, the complaint said.

The officer then showed his police identification under the divider and pointed toward the exit "at which time the defendant exclaimed `No!'" the complaint said.

The Aug. 8 police report says that Craig had handed the arresting officer a business card that identified him as a member of the Senate.

"What do you think about that?" Craig is alleged to have said, according to the report.

While Craig said he had made a mistake in not getting a lawyer before pleading guilty, a police report says he returned to where he was booked 11 days after his June 11 arrest - and more than a month before he entered a plea - and said he needed a "contact so his lawyer can speak to someone."

The officer at the booking station connected him with Karsnia who provided him with the name and phone number of the government attorney handling the case, police said.

Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Matthew Daly in Washington and John Miller in Boise contributed to this story.

Take a look
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, is seen during a hearing Thursday, May 25, 2006, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Craig pleaded guilty on Aug. 8, 2007, to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after being arrested at the Minneapolis airport. A Hennepin County court docket showed Craig pleading guilty, with the court dismissing a charge of gross misdemeanor interference to privacy.(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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Reader comments on this story - 42 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Har Har Har wrote on Aug 29, 2007 10:58 AM:

" It is a good thing this guy ain't Baptist. His foot tapping could be misunderstood to be dancing, and then he would have been in BIG trouble with the church! "

DT wrote on Aug 29, 2007 10:50 AM:

" And I wonder why Republican are villified. Could it be because of holy than thou hypocrisy? A detailed study of sex scandals over the last 30 years shows that your chances of being hit on by a Republican are over 60%, 20% that the person will be drunk, and 20% that the person will be gay. "

Alphonse wrote on Aug 29, 2007 10:37 AM:

" to: Truth to Power Liberals are accepting of gay people, and it's not the fact that this guy is gay that bothers us, obviously. It is that he strongly opposed gay rights in his political career. And I'm not just assuming this because he is a Republican, but his voting record clearly indicates that he opposes gay rights. Now that it turns out he enjoys sex with men, it is his rampant hypocracy that bothers us. What if it turned out that, oh, let's say, a Democratic politician who strongly opposes the right to bear arms actually had a secret gun collection? Most conservatives would be calling for his head; not simply because he had guns, but because he was a big stinking hypocrite. "

me too wrote on Aug 29, 2007 10:32 AM:

" I tap my foot when I poo and sometimes I sing. They didn't mention singing though. "

Alphonse wrote on Aug 29, 2007 10:02 AM:

" to: Truth to Power Liberals are accepting of gay people, and it's not the fact that this guy is gay that bothers us, obviously. It is that he strongly opposed gay rights in his political career. And I'm not just assuming this because he is a Republican, but his voting record clearly indicates that he opposes gay rights. Now that it turns out he enjoys sex with men, it is his rampant hypocracy that bothers us. What if it turned out that, oh, let's say, a Democratic politician who strongly opposes the right to bear arms actually had a secret gun collection? Most conservatives would be calling for his head; not simply because he had guns, but because he was a big stinking hypocrite. "

In Response to Truth to Power wrote on Aug 29, 2007 9:30 AM:

" That's why you need to vote for Guiliani. At least he's down with gay marriage. While I personally believe homosexuality is wrong, i believe that it is a personal issue between that person and God and NO GOV'T has a right to dictate who you can or cannot marry. That aside, who cares. Maybe Sen. Craig likes men..ooohhh....I think the world has come to an end. Get over yourselves people. "

Imagine wrote on Aug 29, 2007 9:24 AM:

" Imagine the cop's job. Hanging around the Minneapolis airport bathroom waiting for guys like Craig and other Republicans to to take the bait. Support your local police. "

Self Hate wrote on Aug 29, 2007 9:17 AM:

" Far too many Republicans hate themselves for being gay. Consequently, they seek to drive out their own demons by expressing a firm, public, anti gay stance. A wide stance in the case of this latest looney. "

LittleMac wrote on Aug 29, 2007 8:56 AM:

" Sex in a toilet stall. Why in the world would anyone call that 'gay'? "

Hey Sen. Craig!!... wrote on Aug 29, 2007 3:31 AM:

" Turn out the lights...the parties over!! "

Politically correct wrote on Aug 28, 2007 11:55 PM:

" Have you ever known a polititian to lie?! "

Hmmm.. wrote on Aug 28, 2007 9:22 PM:

" ..you think they'll send him to Christian Camp to be "cured"? I always wondered how that works...like, in the old days when parents caught you smoking, they make you smoke the ENTIRE pack................ "

Truth To Power wrote on Aug 28, 2007 9:03 PM:

" Liberals crack me up. They are all like "we are so accepting of the gays". Then a Republican comes out and its "OMG!! He's GAY! He's GAY." The liberal reaction should be enough to tell the gays what the Democrat party is really about... Power and votes. And they tolerate your gayness for about as long as they can hold their noses. Look at the last administration. Bill Clinton did more damage to the gay movement ("don't ask don't tell" has been an utter disaster, plus the DOMA provides the groundwork for gay marriage bans no matter what the Supreme Court looks like) than George Bush could ever imagine. (or liberals tell gays that George Bush could ever imagine) But the gays continue to be drawn to the siren song of Hills and Obama and Silky Pony. Got news for ya, folks... ya aint gettin married under their watch, either. But they feel for you sooooooo compassionately. Hope that's good enough. "

The Difference wrote on Aug 28, 2007 8:54 PM:

" The difference is Republicans will want this guy out. On the other hand if it was a Democrat, the Democrats would fight to keep the person in office. "

to ladies watch out... wrote on Aug 28, 2007 8:54 PM:

" I'm with the others responding to you on this one, honey. I have never heard someone tapping their foot in the bathroom, nor have I just stuck my hand under a stall or had anyone stick their hand under my stall to get tp. It's fine that you want to defend the actions of this senator, but don't make a blanket statement that all of us women act like you in a public bathroom, because it's pretty clear we don't. I don't care if someone is gay, but why lie about it if you are? He also pled guilty - no one is going to plead guilty to something like this if they didn't do it, why would they? "

Politicians wrote on Aug 28, 2007 6:58 PM:

" are low-lives. "

LIAR wrote on Aug 28, 2007 6:57 PM:

" "I am not gay and never have been." I said, "I am not gay and never have been." And I mean it! "

My amateur guess is that everything wrote on Aug 28, 2007 6:54 PM:

" the Senator said TWICE in his very brief 4 minute press conference is a LIE. That would mean that of all the things he said, this is what was true: "Thank you for coming here today." END. This one is gonna go right up there in that HUGE LIES HALL OF FAME alongside of "I am not a crook" and "I did not have sexual relaions with that woman." "

Sure he's not gay wrote on Aug 28, 2007 6:34 PM:

" If he was they wouldn't have even arrested him for fear he would bring down the wrath of the gay community on them for picking on gay people. "

To: Ladies Watch Out wrote on Aug 28, 2007 5:42 PM:

" I don't know where you got your public bathroom stall manners, but most of us just peek under the door for feet to see which cubicles are occupied. No need to open the door. Also, if a need for tissue arises, the voice works pretty good in asking and it's a courtesy to pass some under the stall wall. And as for tapping your feet while you're on the throne, you are in the minority of one as far as I'm concerned. I've been in public bathrooms all over the continent and across the ocean and tapping feet is definitely weird unless you have your iPod cranked up. "

Another wrote on Aug 28, 2007 5:30 PM:

" GOPer bites the dust. HYPOCRITES ! "

To: Ladies Watch Out wrote on Aug 28, 2007 4:24 PM:

" Generally, if in that predicament, I will ask the lady next door if I may have some. I just don't stick my hand under the divider hoping she'll understand my need. This guys a creep. Having to succumb to the lowlyness of an airport is outrageous. "

Defense wrote on Aug 28, 2007 4:12 PM:

" He has every right to be a gay man in America, but for you people to defend his actions as if he wasn't trying to do anything gay is crazy. Republicans are the biggest hypocrites that have ever walked the earth. Had this been a dem, Fixed News, er FOX Noise would have been all over them, calling them every name in the book. "

I hope wrote on Aug 28, 2007 4:00 PM:

" every politician that voted against gay marriage or civil unions has something like this come out of his closet. HIL! He's gonna try and lie to get out of this. Hypocrites! "

Alphonse wrote on Aug 28, 2007 3:46 PM:

" to: DT, no, there's not anything wrong with that. It's not about Democrat/Republican, it's about pro/anti-gay rights. When conservative right-wing politicians and leaders who come to power by spewing anti-gay bigotry turn out to be closeted, they do fall from grace because they've been lying to their supporters about who they are and what they really believe. If it turns out that a liberal politician who opposed discrimination against homosexuals turns out to be gay, that doesn't reflect any fundamental lies or deceipt in his political career. "

DT wrote on Aug 28, 2007 3:14 PM:

" History reveals that Republicans caught is such scandals are vilified and resign. On the other hand, Democrats usually are re-elected several times and may even become committee chairs...not that there's anything wrong with that. "

to ladies watch out... wrote on Aug 28, 2007 3:06 PM:

" More to it than some innocent searching for TP.... this guy admitted his guilt and has had rumors about his orientation for awhile. "

Alphonse wrote on Aug 28, 2007 3:05 PM:

" It is silly that you can get arrested for tapping your foot in a way that suggests that you're coming on to someone, but for those of you who think it is a coincidence that this senator, who has been suspected of being gay before (just check out the blogs) just happened to display the signals for starting a bathroom sexual liasion (after standing in front of the officer's stall, peeking inside, and "fidgiting" several times, and that he's really a well-meaning, non-hypocritical family values type, well that's just wishful thinking. Did I also mention that he plead guilty? "

As always.... wrote on Aug 28, 2007 2:38 PM:

" Republicans are the party of bad decisions (sometimes really bad), but Democrats are the party of NO decisions. "

I do not live in a cave wrote on Aug 28, 2007 2:37 PM:

" What in the world is the attraction of sex in a public bathroom? I will never understand it. If it's the danger, couple up in downtown Baghdad. "

BN Republican wrote on Aug 28, 2007 2:31 PM:

" At least the War in Iraq is going well. "

ladies watch out... wrote on Aug 28, 2007 2:11 PM:

" how many of us ladies have stuck our hand under the stall to get paper??? Oh boy, we better watch out b/c that means we are wanting a sexual act?? Are you kidding me????? I my self have taken a quick glance in a stall to make sure someone is actually in there b/c some times the bathroom stall doors get jammed, etc. And I have tapped my foot while doing # 2 and certainly didn't want anything out of it. I guess we need a "how to" book for taken a public dump. What a croc!!! "

another republican wrote on Aug 28, 2007 1:48 PM:

" how many more moral hypocrites are there among the holier than thou Republicans? Hm... ted Haggerty, mark foley, pill popping Rush Limpbrain, ...... "

GOP gay party wrote on Aug 28, 2007 1:16 PM:

" Guess what they say about people hating gays being self-loathing is true... "

Fair and Balanced??? wrote on Aug 28, 2007 12:46 PM:

" If anyone who has already posted here thinks that this story is non-prejudicial toward the Republican Party, need to reread it again. Talk about blatantly and openly biased!!! No one knows the truth, only the innuendoes from the writers and all of the "experts" that they call from (i.e. Dem. party and openly gay activists)! Nice going AP for keeping the news fair - NOT!!!! "

Past Elections wrote on Aug 28, 2007 12:05 PM:

" The recent past elections have had the GOP party as the revival of christ. I guess everyone really is human, and make mistakes in life. The GOP party has nothing but themself to blame for touting themselves as the party of perfection. "

not helpful wrote on Aug 28, 2007 11:47 AM:

" The comment from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee spokesperson was not helpful- it only encourages Republicans to dig for dirt on Democrats, thus fueling the already out-of-control political warfare in Washington that is a poor substitute for good government. "

Chet wrote on Aug 28, 2007 11:40 AM:

" At the rate the Republicans are going, GOP is soon going to stand for Gobs of Perverts. "

The Irascible Fachna wrote on Aug 28, 2007 11:36 AM:

" The rush to judgment here is simply outrageous! This was a completely innocent misunderstanding on Sen. Craig's part! He thought the adjacent men's room stall at the Minneapolis airport was occupied by the usual NRA lobbyist, and, upon tapping the man's foot as the customary signal, he was just reaching under the partition for the monthly bribe. The filthy minds on some people! "

Fatso wrote on Aug 28, 2007 10:44 AM:

" Craig: a Rancher: Somehow that all figures. Surely there must be one or two good looking heifers somewhere on the Ranch. "

Yet Another... wrote on Aug 28, 2007 10:40 AM:

" ...hypocrite. Funny how eventually they are exposed (pun intended). "

Alphonse wrote on Aug 28, 2007 10:34 AM:

" This has been happening a lot lately. I hope it serves to discredit the bigoted anti-gay movement that is so prevalent in Republican politics. "
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