Notes on a Scandal
(AP)
The story was broken by the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call yesterday:
Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom, according to an arrest report obtained by Roll Call on Monday afternoon.It’s a blockbuster story, and it leads you to think thoughts of “All The President’s Men” and meetings in parking garages and all that exciting stuff, well, calm down. The backstory is remarkably … normal.
Craig’s arrest occurred just after noon on June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court. He paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and a 10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation with the court that began on Aug. 8.
In a statement released Monday night, Craig denied any wrongdoing and said he regrets his guilty plea.
I called John McArdle - the Roll Call reporter who broke the story – telling him that while I didn’t want to give away his particular journalistic recipe, I was curious if he could talk about the piece in general terms.
His response? “The story was based on a tip that came in last week. It took us a while to track down documents with the courthouse and the police department. But we were able to secure the documents Monday and we ran it Monday afternoon.”
I then asked if he’d be comfortable characterizing the source. Was it an activist, somebody with a clear agenda, somebody he’d worked with before, somebody that raised an eyebrow? Anything?
“It was an interesting tip that came in,” he responded.
I then asked him if it was daunting to break a story that he knew was going to make some waves, and he had this to say: “We had the documents. We got a quote from his office. We felt like we’d done the appropriate leg work on it, so no, I wasn’t uncomfortable.”
Finally, I asked him if there was something that got left on the editing room floor about this story that was worth bringing up. And, like a good newsman working the story, he responded, “I am looking into all sorts of angles, so be looking for an update this afternoon.”
So, if you listen to McArdle, there’s not a whole lot of drama involved. It’s merely a “Just The Facts” story written by a guy who got a tip. Which is probably just as well, because the facts in this story are more than enough to take us through to the Petraeus Report in a little under two weeks.
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
Craig should use this: "I wasn''t soliciting -- I was confessing!"
The Priest slide the small door open and stated "confess my child"%u2026with no response the Priest took his Crucifix and began tapping on the confessional wall.
The drunken homeless man then shouted "Hey! Can you knock it off buddy? There ain%u2019t no toilette paper on this side either!!"
The GOP pols are acting like Romans -- an entitled nobility, posting edicts on public morality between orgies.
(P.S. I love how the NYT''s had to point back to Jefferson to show "both sides" are guilty - a guy who got busted pre-Foley, to balance abramoff!)
I would feel more compassion for the man had he a record of being compassionate toward others, but he has voted against legislation that would benefit those he is evidently one of. And he certainly didn''t show any compassion toward President Clinton. He and Newt Gingrich are two of the meanest hypocrites I have ever seen.
*** would not have to hide in shame or resort to the behavior Senator Craig pled guilty to if our laws and mores acknowledged their equality to the rest of society. So much unnecessary pain is caused by our refusal to look beyond a person''s sexuality and see only their humanity.
Senator Craig is in the political party that should be called the Rebuking Party, when it is becoming increasingly clear that they are the ones who need to be rebuked. (For legitimate reasons, I might add.)
My opinion, given the raft of Republican congressman with such problems, is to bar them from public men''s restrooms altogether and give them their very own, marked very plainly: Men''s Restroom, Republicans Only.
%u201CIt was an interesting tip that came in,%u201D he responded.
That means the person had an agenda, he''d worked with them before, and that person raises an eyebrow.
It''s plain to see that you''re giving the illusion of transparency, Matthew, while spinning the truth with your omission of fact.