Breaking News
Idaho Sen. Larry Craig Arrested After Incident in Men’s Bathroom
By Courtney Lowery, 8-27-07
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Republican Idaho Sen. Larry Craig was arrested in June by a police officer investigating lewd conduct in a men’s bathroom in Minnesota, Roll Call is reporting.
According to the Roll Call report, which you can read here, Craig pleaded guilty Aug. 8 to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court after being arrested in June by a plainclothes police officer. The officer was investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom at a Minnesota airport when Craig was arrested.
Registration may be required for Roll Call, an excerpt of the story is posted on the Real Clear Politics blog. Also, to read the arrest report at Talking Points Memo click here.
In response to the story, Sen. Craig issued a statement denying any impropriety. The statement read: “At the time of the incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions. I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct. 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.”
A spokesperson for the Senator told Roll Call the incident was a “he said/he said misunderstanding.”
Monday afternoon as news of the arrest spread, Craig stepped down as the Senate co-chariman of the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney.
A statement from Romney’s campaign read: “Senator Craig has stepped down from his role with the campaign. He did not want to be a distraction and we accept his decision.”
Craig has been the subject of speculation over the last year after accusations surfaced that he had affairs with men, but he has denied all claims, as pointed out in this NewWest.Net/Boise story from last October.
Craig has not said whether he will seek reelection, and news of the arrest could influence his decision and the fate of a seat that has long been considered solidly Republican.
[End of article]
This is such a great day.
Where were you August 27, 2007?
Mark Foley, Sen Vitter, Sen Craig. What's with these bible-thumping republicans, anyway? Give me good old Bill Clinton; at least he messed around with a girl(s). I guess the spinners will say Sen Craig was just exercising his knees. Life goes on. C'mon November of 08.
Comment By Kitt, 8-27-07By Jay Kanta, 8-27-07
Ditto!
is calling this a “he said/he said misunderstanding” Larry Craig's eqivalent of "heckuva job Brownie"?
Comment By Joseph Blowe, 8-27-07All these so called "anti-gay rights" people...makes you wonder
what they are so afraid of. It's like they think being gay is a choice. And...that every morning gay men wake up and say...I guess I will have sex with men today...or that straight men have
to say to themselves every day that I won't have sex with men today. This guy is gay..so be it. He should just come out of the closet and find a different career.
Interesting comment from Craig's spokesman, Vince. It emphasizes the homosexual angle, not that there's anything wrong with that, unless of course your a senator that has habitually voted against equal rights for gays during your entire tenure.
And I'm unsure of the "family values" behind anonymous public bathroom sexual solicitation. I wonder if we're going to see the fruits of Popkey's investigation now?
It's now fun to look back at this paper's 10-17-06 edition which reported a story about Craig's same-sex affairs. All his "family values" supporter were quick to post comments expressing their indignation about this "left wing" "gay agenda" smear. If the Union Station sex wasn't enough then maybe his guilty plea to his sex crime in Minn. finally silenced them. But there's still hope - like Rev. Ted Haggard, Craig will go into Christian rehab and in two weeks come out "saved and straight"
Comment By Kimberly Hansen, 8-27-07At least one family values blogger is calling for Craig to resign:
http://www.adamsweb.us/blog/midnight-for-larry-craig/
The "Log cabin" MUST be filling up!
http://osi-speaks.blogspot.com/2007/08/log-cabin-fills-up-as-idaho-u-s.html#links
All I have to say is that this isn't a gay or non-gay issue...it's about total life-long hypocrisy. It must really burn up those right-wingers because even they can't spin a fact like another one of their own being a total hypocrite into something altogether different like National Security or Executive Privelege. He could kneel all day long in a bathroom for all I care, but walk the walk if your gonna talk the talk. Maybe I should say prance the prance, but folks is smart enough to know when someone is just a plain old lying opportunist simply riding along, oppressing others, because it's easy. The youngin's call in being a 'poser'. The elders call be being a 'fascists'. Can't wait to see them try to wriggle outta this one. Maybe he and Jim West can go on a date?
Comment By Scott, 8-27-07Um, Jim West is dead...wouldn't that be just a little bit creepy?
Comment By Appaled in Seattle, 8-27-07LOL...your right...that's just plain wrong...my apologies. Hmmmm I will have to find Mr. Craig another date I suppose.
Comment By Drover, 8-28-07Not a whole lot creepier than anonymous sex in an airport bathroom! (& that goes for any combination of genders)
Comment By Larry, 8-28-07If Senator Craig and I had our way, every men's room would have a door leading to the anonymous sex room so we could make love in peace. :mad:
Comment By Damien, 8-28-07Funny how the Republicans are so anti-gay, but they are the first ones who have sex with other men behind closed doors... or in this case, closed stalls. At least us democrats dont lie, sleep with anyone, who cares. Just get us out of Iraq, and impeach Bush.
Damien
33 Male
Boston
It's so funny that all these Republicans who make their political careers pandering to conservative Christians; so often end up in these hypocritical scandals. Why are Conservative Republican values so often bathed in deception? Really, hypocrisy is the worst sort of deceit and it's down right scary that these masters of hypocrisy have run our country with impunity for the last decade. I can’t help but remember how clowns like Craig railed against Clinton for his violations of the Republican moral code. Now we’ve seen again and again what that moral code really represents.
Comment By Sharon Fisher, 8-28-07I feel sorry for him, that he couldn't be honest and have a normal relationship like anyone else but had to go trolling in bathrooms. I wonder what it felt like to deny that part of himself all these years, and voting against all sorts of gay issues the way he did. People are asking whether he's going to resign; I'm worried that he's going to do something worse.
Comment By Sharon Fisher, 8-28-07I'm also curious as to who tipped off Roll Call.
Comment By Alex, 8-28-07I would have loved to see his face when the officer put his badge on the floor. Who knows what all these dirty anti gay republicans do behing closed doors. I am glad he got caught.
Comment By Karen Doyle, 8-28-07I cannot believe he pled guilty and then said he was 'misunderstood', just like those guys that say their wives don't understand them?
Comment By John Young, 8-28-07Let me get this straight. This guy leaves his National Guard commitment early (sounds familiar), quickly marries a staffer with three kids when as a congressman he's hit with the first homo-inuendo almost 30 years ago, hangs around a D.C. train station and finally gets bagged in at MSP where you can't even smoke a cigarette without leaving the airport property. And he's supposed to be a "family man" completely innocent of the charge to which he's already pleaded guilty? (The Idaho Statesman's a day late and a dollar short on this story.)
Comment By clem from boise, 8-28-07Sharon,
His arrest is a matter of public record. Strange thing is how he could of thought this would go un-noticed and isn't it a public officials responsibility to inform their constituents when and if they have been arrested and what for?
But you are right it might even be a fellow Idaho Republican who wants his job.
"he shouldn't step down because he's a queer, he should step down
because
he is a big-assed hypocrite. It is people like this that are destroying
this
country."
"As opposed to the Hypocrites who scream about "a fair distribution of
wealth" (aka theft of my money) and two America's while getting
$1,200.00
haircuts....yeah your right, I'd rather have the forthright hypocricy
of
the socialists.
At least they are upfront about wanting to steal from those who earn it
and
give it to those who don't like to work, and of course to those who
sneak
into the country illegally.
Now thats how to REALLY destroy the country. A little queeny bathroom
poking
is small by comparison. "
-Whoever you are, creature, I don't know how we go from a discussion about hypocrisy to commies giving away your hard earned dollars, for, ha ha, $1,200 haircuts! Just what are you sniffing, honey? How did you go off on this orbit?
You sound like you liked something about this man - what was it? :) Tell me perhaps that it was taxbreaks, huh? :)
Or are you like so many of the Barney Fifes of this world, bitching about all your hard earned boo hoo tax dollars going to some commie's haircut when you are some 8 dollar an hour loser, with a chip on your shoulders, voting against your self interests for people who don't give a darn about you! Ha ha, there are so many of those kind of losers in this world, it is pathetic. A good brainwashing from FOX TV maybe?
Or what, do you have some equity you want to get some tax breaks for, and you think the only way you can get it is to back up slime like this, and anyone who doesn't have this man's right wing republican viewpoint is a commie? And this is just you protecting your self interests but masking it as another kind of issue? HYPOCRITE!!!!! HA HA, YOU ARE A BIRD BRAINED HYPOCRITE. GUESS WHAT, THE WORLD IS ON TO YOU GUYS. YOU ARE ALL ONE TRICK PONIES. WHY DON'T YOU GET YOURSELF A HAIRCUT???? :)
"By John Young, 8-28-07
Let me get this straight. This guy leaves his National Guard commitment early (sounds familiar), quickly marries a staffer with three kids when as a congressman he's hit with the first homo-inuendo almost 30 years ago, hangs around a D.C. train station and finally gets bagged in at MSP where you can't even smoke a cigarette without leaving the airport property. And he's supposed to be a "family man" completely innocent of the charge to which he's already pleaded guilty? (The Idaho Statesman's a day late and a dollar short on this story.) "
It kind of tells you the compulsion is out of hand if he would take such an enormous risk like that! In a well policed PUBLIC area, the PUBLIC man? Sometimes they want to be caught, because the game is too much for them anymore, and sometimes they are just plain stupid, or old Peter is doing the thinking for him. But this is really something, a self destruction wish made true. It reminds me of Clinton's stupidity of messing with that girl, when he knew the hyenas were watching his every move, waiting to take him down. Not even that I liked that man so much either, I think just the same kind of thing.
He was arrested because he put his bag down in front of him (where else is he going to put his bag down) and he tapped his foot. Really, tapping one's foot is not a sexual advance. Anyone who says otherwise is either an idiot or a liar. I'd peg the arresting cop as the latter.
This "police officer" sits in a men's room stall waiting for people to cop their feet while terrorist could be blowing up planes all around him. Who exactly is the pervert here?
Craig might be gay, but the misdemeanor charges are doubtlessly falsehoods created by a cop trying to meet his arrest quota.
DID YOU LISTEN TO THE TAPE...IT WAS NOTHING!! THE COP JUST WANTED ATTENTION! ITS CRAZY!
Comment By Jay Kanta, 8-31-07This is just freaking hilarious to listen to the right-wing go from knee-jerk condemnation to "THE COP JUST WANTED ATTENTION!".
By the way, nice use of all-caps, it's a definite statement about the author.
"falsehoods created by a cop trying to meet his arrest quota" is even better! Blame the cop for trying to stop illegal activity in a restroom that is well known for it. As well, can someone please explain why Larry Craig was at this particular restroom, seeing as how it was WAY out of the way from his departure gate?
Maybe these right-wing guys aren't for real, they are just trolls trying to get attention? :) Keep it up guys, you're always good for a laugh.