A Minneapolis police officer has accused Senator Larry Craig of lying in an interview after his arrest.
Posted on 08/30/2007 6:37:17 PM PDT by Stoat
Thursday, August 30th 2007, 7:57 PM
A Minneapolis police officer has accused Senator Larry Craig of lying in an interview after his arrest.
WASHINGTON - The officer who arrested Sen. Larry Craig in a police undercover operation at an airport men's room accused the senator of lying to him during an interrogation afterward, according to an audiotape of the arrest.
On the tape, released Thursday by the Minneapolis Airport Police, the Idaho Republican senator, in turn, accuses the officer of soliciting him for sex.
"I'm not gay. I don't do these kinds of things," Craig told Sgt. Dave Karsnia minutes after the two men met in a men's room at the airport on June 11.
"You shouldn't be out to entrap people," Craig told the officer. "I don't want you to take me to jail."
Karsnia replied that Craig wouldn't be going to jail as long as he cooperates.
At one point during the interrogation, the officer told Craig: "You're not being truthful with me. I'm kind of disappointed in you, senator."
Meanwhile, more of Craig's Republican colleagues moved away from him Thursday in the wake of his guilty plea earlier this month to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct in the undercover police operation aimed at sex solicitors.
Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, who chairs the GOP's senatorial campaign committee, stopped short of calling on Craig to resign, but suggested strongly that he should.
"I wouldn't put myself hopefully in that kind of position, but if I was in a position like that, that's what I would do," Ensign told The Associated Press in his home state. "He's going to have to answer that for himself."
Sens. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, each turned over to charity $2,500 campaign donations they had received from Craig's political action committee. Coleman and Collins both face potentially tough faces for re-election next year.
Coleman and several other Republicans - including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. - have called for Craig to resign his seat in the Senate. Craig already has agreed to a request by Republican leaders to give up his ranking status on the Veterans Affairs Committee and appropriations subcommittees.
Craig said Tuesday he had committed no wrongdoing and shouldn't have pleaded guilty. He said he had only recently retained a lawyer to advise him in the case, which threatens to write an ignominious end to a lifetime in public office.
GOP Senate leaders said they did not act lightly in asking Craig to give up his leadership posts temporarily. But they said their decision was "in the best interest of the Senate until this situation is resolved by the ethics committee."
On the tape, Craig and the arresting officer can be heard arguing over what happened in the men's room minutes earlier. Craig acknowledges that the men's feet bumped, but says nothing improper happened.
"Did we bump? Yes, I think we did. You said so. I don't disagree with that," Craig said.
But Craig disputes the officer's account that he swept his hand under the stall next to him in an apparent effort to advance the encounter. They even disagree whether Craig used his right hand or his left hand.
Craig said he was merely trying to pick up a piece of paper - an account the officer disputes.
"I'm telling you that I could see, so I know that's your left hand. Also I could see a gold ring on this finger, so that's obvious it was the left hand," Karsnia tells Craig.
"Well we can dispute that," Craig says. "I'm not going to fight you in court. I reached down with my right hand to pick up the paper."
Meanwhile, Idaho Republican Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter told CNN that Craig's loss of his committee leadership posts was "problematic," adding: "I'm sure Larry and his family are going to take those things into consideration as they go forward with their decisions."
Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said that "like most Idahoans, I was shocked by the allegations against Larry and by his guilty plea. However, I tend to judge people by the totality of their career and Senator Craig has been a dedicated public servant who has been an asset for Idaho for almost 30 years. At this time, I will not pass judgment on this matter."
Profiling is a legitimate tool in law enforcement.
Double standard is right. What did Barney Frank and Gerry Studds have to say about it? Didn’t Barney have a prostitution ring operating out of his house?
As in The Duke LAX case facts don’t seem to apply here. “Might have” is good enough. God help us.
I am surprised by the number of experts in the field of homosexual practices that seem to be everywhere. Little did I know all this time that by tapping my foot, putting my hand in my back pocket, picking up a piece of paper or choosing a fateful stall in the restroom I was sending “signals”. I surprised some Rosie O’Donnell looking female cop hasn’t had me up against a wall by now. Guess I better remember to “go” before I leave the house or just learn to “hold it”.
But I do think he regrets bending over to pick up that little piece of paper he spotted on the floor of the toilet stall.
‘Senator Craig lied...’
Duh headline of the day.
Craig's reputation is shot forever, and his family has been put through hell.
The cops will get work wherever they go, and, in fact, did what cops do and did it well: they entrap.
Furthermore, the species of the Left will consider them heroes.
I guess when you know justice is a myth, especially for out-of-favor politicians, you might feel compelled to plead guilty, especially if a judge looks you in the eye and tells you you might as well for your own good (not saying that happened here, but it's been known to happen).
Anyone messed up enough to do it isn't fit to hold a public office, and isn't fit to serve citizens, and cannot be trusted to be unbiased and objective in matters of leadership and government.
On the other hand, were you absent they day they taught about "presumption of innoncence?"
you’re welcome to see my #268.
It will be difficult to revoke the guilty plea. One possibility is if he did not sign a waiver of attorney if there was, as I heard, a jail sentence possible with the charge to which he pleaded.
LOL! And I put my suitcase up against the door if the larger handicapped stall isn’t available.
“There is only one door, do the math. They use the door, probably when they think no one is watching, stepping over the bag.”
I had no idea this was a math problem, but thanks for the other explanation. It now makes sense to me.
Have you read the arrest record and the plea documentation?
Presumed innocent...until you sign a guilty plea right under the lines that point out that it's illegal to plead guilty when one believes the contrary.
yep but the tape tells the story.
Clearly a sign of guilt! ;-)
;-}
If I were a public figure and knowing how Republicans are treated by the media I wouldn't plead guilty to any charge. I would say "Hell no, I want a trial." My innocence, and my good name, would demand that I fight it.
“Your dad was a coward.
Sorry.”
“I did say sorry”
And you’re a lamebrain. I apologize, I do apologize, but you are. Rogue cops are criminals, do you think it’s cowardly to submit to an armed criminal too? Her father’s advice was wise , it’s common sense. Don’t antagonize psychopaths who have complete power over you.
While I have problems with the way the charges are applied, I also have a problem with a senator who would sign like this if he believed himself innocent (yes, innocent, not just "not guilty")... 
BTW, IMHO, Alford and nolo contendere are essential in a necessarily flawed system, else an innocent citizen must be forced to fight a fight he believes he can't afford or win (and face a worse sentence), or lie to just accept he can't win the case or has other reasons for not fighting it. Also note, IANAL.
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