October 04, 2007

Larry Craig Not Resigning After Judge Rejects Motion

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig has announced that he will remain in office, despite having had his motion to withdraw his guilty plea to disorderly conduct rejected earlier today.

"I am extremely disappointed with the ruling issued today. I am innocent of the charges against me. I continue to work with my legal team to explore my additional legal options," the Republican lawmaker said in a written statement. "I will continue to serve Idaho in the United States Senate, and there are several reasons for that. As I continued to work for Idaho over the past three weeks here in the Senate, I have seen that it is possible for me to work here effectively."

Craig had gone back and forth on whether to resign following revelations in August that he had been arrested in a gay-cruising sting in June. After pressure from the GOP, Craig announced that he would step down on Sept. 30, but backed away from that commitment after he decided to challenge his guilty plea. After an appearance in a Minnesota court last week, he appeared to hang his resignation on the outcome of his motion to withdraw.

Craig was clearly hoping to be one of a small minority who are able to persuade a judge to clear their guilty pleas. The senator has vehemently denied that he was seeking sexual relations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in June, and also denies he is gay.

Posted at 4:23 PM
Posted to: Congress, Larry Craig, Senate