Craig Says He Was Entrapped in Sex Sting (tonight on Dateline)

The Washington Post ^ | Oct 16, 2007 | MATTHEW DALY, AP

[fortheDeclaration]

"disorderly conduct" NOT lewd behavior, which he was arrested for.

Disorderly conduct in Minn. includes lewd (obscene) behavior.

[fortheDeclaration]

but if Larry Craig was literally using toilet paper and wiping, how in the heck could he be cruising for sex? It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. That fact alone would seem to support Craig’s innocence.

He wasn't doing that.

When he found out that it was a police officer in the other stall he fled it.

He did not enter that stall to use it for its normal purpose.

[fortheDeclaration]

one thing I remember Lauer saying to him in this interview (that I hadn’t heard prior) was that the cop said Craig looked into the stall he was in, through the door crack, so close that he could see the color of his eyes. Then waited for the one next to him to open up and went into it and started the gay tap etc thing. Lauer said ‘when I am looking for an empty stall I look for feet’ and Craig said he does both...

Yes, the more serious charge (gross misdemeanor) was that of 'peeping'.

He was checking the stall out.

[matthew fuller]

OK, now I understand- I thought that it was a plea reduction or something. So he DID plead guilty as charged-so he is now SOL unless he gets a lenient appeals judge and/ or a good lawyer.

[fortheDeclaration]

"I didn't want to embarrass my wife, my kids, Idaho and my friends," Craig said.

Yea, right!

So you renege on resigning and then appeal your decision to plead guilty and then go on national television.

[fortheDeclaration]

Too bad Craig wasn't up on his Constitution. He should have cited Article I, Section 6, which states that all members of Congress "shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same;. The arrest was blatently illegal.

He was breaching the peace, thus, the guilty plea to disorderly conduct.

[fortheDeclaration]

OK, now I understand- I thought that it was a plea reduction or something. So he DID plead guilty as charged-so he is now SOL unless he gets a lenient appeals judge and/ or a good lawyer.

He was charged with two counts, one a gross misdemeanor which was 'peeping' and a lesser charge, a misdemeanor, of disorderly conduct which includes offensive and obscene behavior.

He pled guilty to the lesser offense.

Here are the details.

http://news.findlaw.com/usatoday/docs/crim/mn-larry-craig-70207cmp2.html

[Wil H]

Closed for the night maybe?

At 1.00 PM in the afternoon?

[fortheDeclaration]

If all he did was tap his foot, then I can see the misunderstanding.

He wasn't just tapping his foot, he moved his foot into the other stall, hence his claim of having a 'wide stance'.

[Wil H]

There are two club locations in the Lindbergh terminal, one out at Gate C12, the other is back on the terminal’s main concourse.

[RedBloodedPatriot]

“one thing I remember Lauer saying to him in this interview (that I hadn’t heard prior) was that the cop said Craig looked into the stall he was in, through the door crack, so close that he could see the color of his eyes”

That begs the question of whether the cop was just sitting in there fully clothed (as would be assumed). I had not heard that about Craig looking inside the stall either. Assuming the cop was sitting there fully clothed that does seem wierd. If I saw someone just sitting in a toilet stall fully clothed, I would tend to pick the stall the farthest away from them.

[43north]

Some of you folks trying to defend this dirtbag must believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy as well.

I live in Idaho and the vast majority of the people here want Larry Craig to do the right thing and go away. Of course, he’s been in the Senate so long he thinks like a typical self-aggrandizing pompous a$$ho!e politician and doesn’t believe that Idaho or the USA could get along without him.

Larry - your’re a queer. Admit it. Stop lying to yourself and the citizens who elected you. You are not an honorable man.

[tioga]

Sounds like a he said/he said situation. Who to believe.........MMmmm. Dem guy who hangs in bathroom hoping to catch someone, or the guy who’s wide stance was seen round the world. I don’t like either one of those choices.

[durasell]

....the guy who’s wide stance was seen round the world.

---

Uh, okay...

[tioga]

Perhaps I overstated it.......just a little footsie playing in reality?

[durasell]

The whole thing is just sad and sordid. And he’s not helping matters any.

[Lancey Howard]

Craig Says He Was Entrapped in Sex Sting

Uh... yeahhhh..... I think that was the general idea.

[XR7]

But then the person started swiping his hands under the partition.

Did he then show you his badge?

[fortheDeclaration]

That begs the question of whether the cop was just sitting in there fully clothed (as would be assumed). I had not heard that about Craig looking inside the stall either. Assuming the cop was sitting there fully clothed that does seem wierd. If I saw someone just sitting in a toilet stall fully clothed, I would tend to pick the stall the farthest away from them.

Exactly correct.

Moreover, if there were an empty stall further away from an occupied one, that would the one most men would choose, not one next to an occupied one.

And I believe the 'sting' made sure that there were empty stalls.

Craig knew exactly what he was doing and doesn't deny the acts that the police described, only that they were 'misconstrued'.

[Sal]

a couple of actual facts here 1. the media knew of the incident and passed for 5 or 6 months

For the record: I believe 1) this was a set up; 2) had he contested it, he would have won in court but been almost as harmed as he is now; 3) I don't care if he's gay, but I do care if he's trolling in a public bathroom where a 12 year old might happen in; 4) despite the legal case being more than questionable, I think he was trolling for all the reasons others have listed above.

Regarding your point about the timing: This came out very soon after the Hsu story did. As soon as the Hsu story started to grow legs, this became the major story, thus deflecting negative attention from Hillary.

I believe her blackmail machines have been setting up as many Republicans as possible in order to spring the "news" right before the '08 election which will probably be as effective as the Foley stuff was.

She just needed to pull one of the triggers early to deflect the spotlight at a moment critical for her IMO. If I'm right, we need to worry about how many other Republicans are compromised in some way she can use.