Posted on 08/28/2007 3:40:16 PM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
NEW YORK In a statement to the press late this afternoon, Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho blamed the Idaho Statesman of Boise for his legal and political troubles stemming from his arrest in a sex-related matter at an airport men's room in Minnesota in June.
He denounced the longstanding probes by the Statesman -- he called it a "witch hunt" -- for inspiring him to plead guilty to the offense even though he said he was actually innocent. He said he had been "viciously harassed" by the newspaper. "I am not gay," he said twice. "I love my wife."
The Statesman had looked into allegations about Craig but did not run a lengthy report until today -- the day after his arrest in June became public. But Craig pointed to today's story, and suggested that the paper's probes and the "rumors" they produced had caused him to want to put the matter behind him -- so he pleaded guilty to the men's room charge and told no one about it. "In June, I overreacted and made a poor decision," he said.
Craig also said he would not step down as senator and still planned to serve his state in Washington, and walked away without answering questions from the media...."
(Excerpt) Read more at mediainfo.com ...
I heard Craig’s press announcement live here in Boise. Quite frankly, to me, that dog has a real hard time hunting.
You know, over the last 2-4 years I have been very disappointed with Craig. I have written to him on several occassions and never once received what I believed was a genuine response (unlike when writing Mike Carppo and Bill Sali).
Most of his responses were vague and somewhat arrogant.
For years here in Idaho there have been rumors about his sexual persuasion. Even though he married late and as he ran for the US Senate and it looked kind of convienent...he has now been married for something like 25 years. He has no children of his own but adopted those of his wife and has cared for and raised them as his own, and now has nine grandchildren. So, I always wrote off those rumors as people trying to cloud what, for many years was a sterling conservative career.
Just the same, I had already withdrawn my support for Craig in the primaries at all as a result of his immigration stance and our exchanges regarding it. I now am reconsidering my feelings regarding his lifestyle.
His statements today, to some came off as rightous indignation and strong in his own defense. To me, they came off weak, and arrogant. If he is rightously indignant now, why was he not so in June when arrested and accused of these charges.
I believe he did panic, and I believe it was because he did “just want it to go away”. But, at the very best, his unbelievable lapse in judgement disqualifies him for the Senate in my opinion if that is all it was.
It does not pass the smell test too me though. He had just had an interview with the Idaho Statesman a couple of weeks before this incident on these exact type of charges. Why, if that was the case, would he ever go into a public restroom and do the things the police officer claimed he was doing? That officer had no idea who this older man was...he was undercover vice in a stall in a known public meeting place for gays seeking public sex.
It stretched credibility to the breaking point to believe that the Senator, who was being investigated for just these charges, just happened into that particular restroom at the Minneapolis airport where thetre are many restrooms.
I want to know how he came to connect in Minneapolis and where his connection gate inforamtion was in relationship to this restroom. If that tells us he had to go out of his way to get to this restroom, then the rest is academic.
Pleading guilty to a lesser, inocuous charge and then hoping to ignore it has the smell of a man caught in the act and hoping against hope it will just go away. Particularly since he admittedly did not informhis wife, legal counsel, or any of his staff. Again, stretches credibility to the breaking point.
Since he did plead guilty, and since he admittedly says it was a severe lapse in judgement...he should just resign and spare his family, the state, and the GOP the ignomity of the full blown investigation that is coming IMHO. If he did that, it it VERY likely that a conservative could be elected here to fill his shoes.
What a scandal, and what a shameful and embarrassing moment for our state.
The paper made him solicit gay sex. Yeah. I buy that Larry.
What a buffoon. And a gay one at that.
2006 all over again
And these are the guys lately that are just getting caught?
How many more are not getting caught?
Disgusting.
Republicans need a way to kick out people from the party. A way to say, we want NOTHING to do with this person.
He’s queer and now the dems are attacking him like there’s no tomorrow. Bunch of hypocrites.
He should resign but so should Barney Frank, who has been involved in a few scandels of his own.
Ted Kennedy is a murderer and John Kerry committed treason, not to mention the serial rapist who was president. Where’s the out cry?
But he didn’t plead guilty to a sex charge, he pled guilty to “disorderly conduct”.
So it’s not really “fair” to say he admitted guilt to the charge of soliciting sex.
The dems would have to either alienate their perverted base and vote for expulsion or they would have to defend craig, alienating the rest of the country.
Stand up for principles. Can you see the republicans saying "they wont even let us kick out a perverted member, they wont clean house"
“I was just trying to pick that damned sports section off the floor of the stall!”
What are the laws up there if he resigns? Is the Gov a GOPer?
This dude needs to go away and find happiness with a glory-hole in some seedy restroom.
You know, the same thing he was looking for before he got busted.
The democrat party is the party of abortionists, sodomites, fornicators, atheists, criminals, and the ACLU and you wonder where the outcry is?
Oh yes, the Governor is very conservative. As is the entire state pretty much. But the people here are independent too and have, in the past elected Democrats they thought would represent them (ie. Frank Church).
If Craig were to step down now just citing his lapse in judgement...the whole thing could go away politically. But, I do not believe he will. He gave all the signs today of really digging in and trying to maintain his political career.
That's true, if any officer were ever to accuse me of playing footsie in a homosexual manner in a public bathroom, I'd go through the roof in righteousness indignation. That's a very serious moral charge and an innocent person would be rightfully highly insulted. But that wasn't Craig's response at all, he reacted in a highly guilty manner. He's not believable.
“for inspiring him to plead guilty to the offense even though he said he was actually innocent.”
ROTFLMAO! What a maroon. Resign scumbag!
I know and probably will not be indicted
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