August 28, 2007
Sen. Larry Craig: I Did Nothing Wrong, And I Am Not Gay
UPDATED.
In a brief but fiery press conference, Sen. Larry Craig sought to put to rest rumors that he is gay.
"Let me be clear: I am not gay. I have never been gay," the Idaho Republican said with his wife at his side.
Craig called reporters to the outdoor plaza in Boise to explain why he pleaded guilty earlier this month to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge after a plainclothes officer accused him of soliciting sex in a men's restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Roll Call broke the news of Craig's June arrest and plea yesterday.
"I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport," Craig said. "I did nothing wrong, and I regret the decision to plead guilty."
Apologizing to his wife, staff and "fellow Idahoans," Craig said that the stress of "a witch hunt" to out him caused him to plead guilty and keep the arrest to himself.
"In June, I overreacted and made a poor decision. While I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct at the Minneapolis airport or anywhere else, I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge in hopes of making it go away," Craig said. "I did not seek any counsel, either from an attorney, a friend, my staff or family. That was a mistake and I now regret it."
The 62-year-old, three-term senator singled out the Idaho Statesman, which has reported accounts, often anonymous, from men claiming to have been "cruised" by Craig over the years. In an editorial today, the paper demanded an explanation from the senator.
But the Statesman isn't the only local paper that has reported Craig might be gay. Rumors have quietly swirled for decades. Last fall, as hysteria over Florida Republican Mark Foley's predilection for teenage boys was taking hold, an activist blogger said he had proof that Craig had solicited sex in a Union Station restroom.
Gay activists have gone after Craig because of his conservatism and anti-gay rights record. Senate Republicans, still smarting from the awkwardly managed Foley affair, announced today they were referring the incident to the Senate Ethics Committee. "In the meantime, leadership is examining other aspects of the case to determine if additional action is required," said Mitch McConnell, Trent Lott and others in a joint statement.
Well before news broke of Craig's arrest, there was speculation that he would retire and not seek re-election next year. Republicans fear a do-over of the Foley affair, which resulted in a once-safely red district turning over to a Democrat.
While many in the Beltway seem already convinced that Craig is a closeted homosexual, there had been no such evidence beyond the testimony of a few anonymous men. Foley was forced to come out and eventually step down because his R-rated dealings with congressional pages were documented in text messages and e-mail. But the taint of closeted homosexuality on a conservative Republican like Craig will be difficult if not impossible to shake.
Craig did not indicate whether this episode will affect his decision to try again for office. "Next month I will announce as planned whether or not I will seek re-election. As an elected official I fully realize my life is open to criticism and scrutiny," he said. "I seek and ask for the people of Idaho to forgive me."
Craig told reporters that he has retained counsel, which will review and advise him of his options. With the guilty plea already submitted, however, it doesn't seem he has very many of those.
Conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt thinks Craig should resign, though he admits he didn't make the same call for Louisiana Republican David Vitter. The Smoking Gun has the arresting officer's report. There's lots of adolescent giggling in the Beltway over the bathroom setting of this incident; Planet Out explains the long history of "tearoom" cruising.
Photo: CNN
Posted at 5:37 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Crime, Larry Craig, Senate
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