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Idaho Senator Arrested in Airport
By Paul Kane and Shailagh Murray
The Washington Post
Tuesday 28 August 2007
Sen. Larry Craig pleaded guilty earlier this month to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges stemming from his June arrest by an undercover police officer in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, a court spokeswoman and the senator's office said yesterday.
Craig issued a statement confirming his arrest and guilty plea, which was first reported in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call. But the Idaho Republican maintained that he had not engaged in any "inappropriate conduct" and that the airport police misunderstood his behavior.
"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," Craig said. "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."
Now in his third term, Craig, 62, has been a member of Senate Republican leadership and ran unsuccessfully in 2002 to become the GOP whip, the No. 2 post in leadership. A prominent figure on gun rights and western lands issues, he resigned yesterday as chairman of the presidential campaign in Idaho for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R).
Romney spokesman Matt Rhoades said Craig "did not want to be a distraction and we accept his decision."
Roll Call, citing a copy of a report by the airport's police, said that officers had been conducting a sting operation inside the men's room because of complaints of sexual activity there.
According to the police report, the undercover officer was monitoring the restroom at noon on June 11. A few minutes later, Craig entered and sat in the stall next to him. Craig began tapping his right foot, touched his right foot to the left foot of the officer in the stall next to him and brushed his hand beneath the partition between them. He was then arrested.
While he was interviewed about the incident, Craig gave police a business card showing he was a U.S. senator. "What do you think about that?" Craig asked the officer, according to the report obtained by Roll Call.
Airport police declined to comment last night. Nancy Peters, a spokeswoman for the Hennepin County District Court, confirmed the charges. She said Craig paid $500 in fines and was placed on one year's probation, beginning Aug. 8, the date he pleaded guilty. He could face an additional $500 in fines and a 10-day jail sentence if he violates probation.
Senate GOP leaders said yesterday that they were shocked by the revelation but declined to comment. "We just found out about this incident late this afternoon," said Josh Holmes, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
Because Craig pleaded guilty to a crime, the incident may be reviewed by the Senate Ethics Committee. Committee chairman, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) declined comment last night.
In 2006, a gay activist claimed he had spoken with men who had sexual encounters with Craig, including an anonymous man in the restrooms at Union Station. Craig's office told the Spokesman Review of Spokane, Wash. that the allegations were "completely ridiculous."
The activist, Mike Rogers, who runs a gay website, BlogActive.com, has complained about Craig's opposition to gay rights. The conservative senator has supported an amendment to the Constitution banning gay marriage and voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in the 1990s. Craig, who served in the National Guard, has also spoken out vocally against homosexuals serving in the military.
Craig was a member of the "Singing Senators," a now-defunct Republican barbershop quartet that included Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and then-Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.), who broke up the group when he went on to become attorney general.
The senator was chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the fourth-ranking GOP leadership job, from 1996 to 2002. Craig also played a prominent role in recent immigration battles, championing rights for illegal farm workers - advocacy that made the staunch conservative an unlikely target of groups opposing illegal immigrants.
Craig, who is married and has three grown children, will complete his third Senate term next year, after serving 10 years in the House, and speculation has swirled for months that he may retire. Craig spokesman Dan Whiting said the senator would announce his decision this fall. On June 30, Craig reported $550,000 in the bank for a re-election race, a healthy sum in a low-cost, heavily Republican state.
His leading Democratic challenger is former Rep. Larry LaRocco, a Boise banker and onetime Senate staffer, who already is campaigning aggressively, baling hay and laying pipe as part of his "Working for the Senate" campaign tour. LaRocco reported raising $80,000 through June 30 and has lost repeated attempts at state office, including a House race to Craig in 1982 and a bid for lieutenant governor in November. He served two terms in the House in the early 1990s, but was swept out by the 1994 Republican revolution, losing to Rep. Helen Chenowith.
On the Republican side, if Craig should not run again, one colorful match could pit veterinarian Rex Rammell against former Gov. Jim Risch, who had ordered state officials to kill elk that had escaped from Rammell's ranch, in order to prevent the possible spread of disease. Rammell was arrested and acquitted after scuffling with state wildlife officials and later sued the state for $1.3 million, according to an account in the Idaho Statesman.
Risch has said he's interested in Craig's seat if the senator retires. Another potential GOP candidate is Rep. Mike Simpson.
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