February 11, 2009 4:19 PM
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GOP Senators Join Call For Craig To Quit
(CBS/AP)
Arizona Sen. McCain and Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, the state where Sen. Larry Craig was arrested, became the first senators to join Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., in urging Craig's resignation.
McCain said in a television interview that the decision was Craig's to make, "but my opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, you shouldn't serve. That's not a moral stand. That's not a holier-than-thou. It's just a factual situation."
"I think he should resign," McCain said.
Coleman said in a statement, "Senator Craig pled guilty to a crime involving conduct unbecoming a senator. He should resign."
The Senate's Republican Leadership released a statement saying that Craig has agreed to temporarily step down as the top Republican on the Veteran Affairs Committee, Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, and Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.
"This is not a decision we take lightly but we believe this is in the best interest of the Senate until this situation is resolved by the Ethics Committee," the statement read.
Craig pleaded guilty earlier this month to a charge of disorderly conduct following his arrest in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport after he allegedly tried to engage in a sexual encounter with an undercover officer. He has since recanted his guilty plea, and said on Tuesday he did nothing wrong.
Earlier, Hoekstra, R-Mich., became the first member of Congress to call for Craig's resignation.
Hoekstra said Craig "represents the Republican Party," and called for his resignation "as his conduct throughout this matter has been inappropriate for a U.S. senator."
Senate Republican leaders have called on the ethics committee to review Craig's case, and White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Wednesday that he hoped the panel could do its work quickly.
"That would be in the best interests of the Senate and the people of Idaho," he said.
Stanzel made no expression of support for Craig. "We are disappointed in the matter. It has been referred to the Senate Ethics Committee, so they will have to deal with it," Stanzel said.
CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer said Republicans on Capitol Hill are "aghast" at the Craig incident.
"I can never recall anything as poorly handled and as ineptly handled as the way Sen. Craig has done this. Republicans are just aghast at this," Schieffer said.
"I talked to several people up on the Hill yesterday whose attitude was, 'My God, what next?' It just never seems to stop. There will be a lot of pressure on this man to not run for re-election because the Republicans feel that's the one way they could lose the seat, if he decides to run."
Signs of difficulty for Craig came from outside the Capitol as well.
Tom Fitton, president of the Judicial Watch, issued a statement calling on Craig to consider stepping down. The organization is a self-described conservative government watchdog group.
"Senator Craig admittedly engaged in illegal activity that brings serious disrepute to the public office he holds," Fitton said.
While the Idaho Values Alliance called on Tuesday for Craig's resignation, Fitton's suggestion that the senator leave office suggested tenuous support among conservatives who make up his core political supporters.
Craig, 62, a third-term senator up for re-election next year, defended himself Tuesday against a police report alleging he attempted to engage in a homosexual encounter with an undercover officer.
Flanked by his wife, Suzanne, Craig stated three times that he was not gay. He cast his arrest for lewd conduct as unfounded and his subsequent guilty plea to disorderly conduct as an error in judgment spurred by frustration with the state's biggest newspaper prying into his past.
McCain said in a television interview that the decision was Craig's to make, "but my opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, you shouldn't serve. That's not a moral stand. That's not a holier-than-thou. It's just a factual situation."
"I think he should resign," McCain said.
Coleman said in a statement, "Senator Craig pled guilty to a crime involving conduct unbecoming a senator. He should resign."
The Senate's Republican Leadership released a statement saying that Craig has agreed to temporarily step down as the top Republican on the Veteran Affairs Committee, Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, and Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.
"This is not a decision we take lightly but we believe this is in the best interest of the Senate until this situation is resolved by the Ethics Committee," the statement read.
Craig pleaded guilty earlier this month to a charge of disorderly conduct following his arrest in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport after he allegedly tried to engage in a sexual encounter with an undercover officer. He has since recanted his guilty plea, and said on Tuesday he did nothing wrong.
Earlier, Hoekstra, R-Mich., became the first member of Congress to call for Craig's resignation.
Hoekstra said Craig "represents the Republican Party," and called for his resignation "as his conduct throughout this matter has been inappropriate for a U.S. senator."
Senate Republican leaders have called on the ethics committee to review Craig's case, and White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Wednesday that he hoped the panel could do its work quickly.
"That would be in the best interests of the Senate and the people of Idaho," he said.
Stanzel made no expression of support for Craig. "We are disappointed in the matter. It has been referred to the Senate Ethics Committee, so they will have to deal with it," Stanzel said.
The scandal is the latest in a series involving Republicans that threaten to further tarnish the party's reputation. Polls showed that ethical lapses by Republicans played a role in allowing Democrats to win control of Congress during last year's legislative elections.
Police Report On Bathroom Arrest of Sen. Larry Craig
CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer said Republicans on Capitol Hill are "aghast" at the Craig incident.
"I can never recall anything as poorly handled and as ineptly handled as the way Sen. Craig has done this. Republicans are just aghast at this," Schieffer said.
"I talked to several people up on the Hill yesterday whose attitude was, 'My God, what next?' It just never seems to stop. There will be a lot of pressure on this man to not run for re-election because the Republicans feel that's the one way they could lose the seat, if he decides to run."
Signs of difficulty for Craig came from outside the Capitol as well.
Tom Fitton, president of the Judicial Watch, issued a statement calling on Craig to consider stepping down. The organization is a self-described conservative government watchdog group.
"Senator Craig admittedly engaged in illegal activity that brings serious disrepute to the public office he holds," Fitton said.
While the Idaho Values Alliance called on Tuesday for Craig's resignation, Fitton's suggestion that the senator leave office suggested tenuous support among conservatives who make up his core political supporters.
Craig, 62, a third-term senator up for re-election next year, defended himself Tuesday against a police report alleging he attempted to engage in a homosexual encounter with an undercover officer.
Flanked by his wife, Suzanne, Craig stated three times that he was not gay. He cast his arrest for lewd conduct as unfounded and his subsequent guilty plea to disorderly conduct as an error in judgment spurred by frustration with the state's biggest newspaper prying into his past.
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