Larry Craig To Resign From Senate

Idaho Senator Facing Growing GOP Calls To Quit Over Arrest In Airport Men's Room

(CBS/AP)  Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig will resign from the Senate amid a furor over his arrest and guilty plea in a police sex sting in an airport men's room, Republican officials said Friday.

Craig will announce at a news conference in Boise on Saturday morning that he will resign effective Sept. 30, four state GOP officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The announcement follows by just five days the disclosure that he had pleaded guilty Aug. 1 to a reduced misdemeanor charge arising out of his arrest June 11 at the Minneapolis airport.

The three-term Republican senator had maintained that he did nothing wrong except for making the guilty plea without consulting a lawyer. But he found almost no support among Republicans in his home state or Washington.

Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter appeared Friday to have already settled on a successor: Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, according to several Republicans familiar with internal deliberations.

Craig's spokesman, Dan Whiting, had said earlier that the senator would announce his career plans Saturday. The spokesman would not say whether Craig intended to resign.

Craig has been out of public view since Tuesday, when he declared defiantly at a Boise news conference: "I am not gay. I have never been gay." But Republican sources in Idaho said he spent Friday making calls to top party officials, including the governor, gauging their support.

There has been virtually none publicly.

Republican operatives have described Craig’s scandal as a "Category 4" political storm that would bring with it echoes of earlier embarrassments such as the Mark Foley e-mails to congressional pages, said CBS News chief political correspondent Jeff Greenfield.

"So the idea of going to a difficult presidential campaign with an unpopular president, a divisive war with those kinds of burdens was too much. They wanted him out big time," Greenfield said.

Asked Friday at the White House if the senator should resign, President Bush said nothing and walked off stage.

Republican officeholders and party leaders maintained a steady drumbeat of actions and words aimed at persuading Craig to vacate his Senate seat.

GOP lawmakers, hoping to get the embarrassment to the party behind them quickly, stripped Craig of leadership posts on Wednesday, one day after they called for an investigation of Craig's actions by the Senate Ethics Committee. Craig complied with the request.

With his wife, Suzanne, at his side, he said he had kept the incident from aides, friends and family and later pleaded guilty "in hopes of making it go away."

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Hear The Police Recording
Read The Police Arrest Report

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Craig, 62, has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century and was up for re-election next year.

Republican officeholders and party leaders wanted Craig to give up his seat in the Senate as soon as possible. Their preference, according to several officials, was for a successor to be selected and ready to take the oath of office when the Senate returns from its summer vacation next week.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Craig's conduct "unforgivable" and acknowledged that many in the rank and file thought Craig should resign.

[likeitis5050]

Funny how life gives you exactly what you secrety yern for, huh? The process may not be exactly favorable, but the outcome is always right on the mark. He needs to just move on and let the chips fall where they may. It''s his family who have to deal with the fallout, in the end. But they will survive...scarred, but alive. I just hope the public can see passed making them accountable.

[name_verify]

It was a botched sting. None of the evidence would hold up in court. All circumstantial. Looks suspicious but not conclusive. But in the end if he cant defend himself against a footsie charge, then how can the citizens of Idaho trust him with more complex legal matters.

[amazedd]

Acrobat Reader

[asor1-2009]

Please excuse my ignorance, but what does "passing fingers under wall of stall..." have to do with a sexual offer?

[condumism]

Republicons: the TARNISHED BRAND that never seems to keep itself from becoming more tarnished with each passing day. Cons seem born and raised on family values of bigotry, thus their inbred social upbringing makes for alot of sick coo-koos in America. The GOPs radical agenda seems to be now confined only to the very vocal Confederate States, as well as a few of the religious nutt case states such as Idaho, Utah, and Kansas. The GOPs continued radical agenda is driving Yankee Republicons, the moderates, into the Hillary Clinton camp, a proven centrist in her own right, really a moderate Republicon as Bill Clinton. Gonna be at least 2 generations before the Republicon party cleanses itself of the Neocon label. The TARNISHED and BRANDED Republicon Party will remain a negative in the minds of the vast majority of Americans for decades to come. The GOP can probably continue to count on a lot of dumb, arrogant, white Southern and Fascist males no matter how pitiful the party becomes.

[lars008-2009]

OMG... another demonic-rat MOLE outed from the gop...

hahahahahaha

had he been in the demonic-rat party where he belongs... they would make him their hero...

hahahahaha

[keithle1]

Part of the fun is the risk & danger. That''s what the late British playwright Joe "Loot" Orton was into.

[melcarnahan]

Warner is leaving and Vitter is staying? That''s not right. Senator Vitter must also be pushed out like a loaf of Turdblossom poo. Corndog''s man in the can, Republi-can Senator Larry E. Craig is a follower of the David Vitter School of Servicing the Public but at least Craig didn''t have to pay for it. Senator Vitter (Republican - The State Formerly Containing New Orleans) followed Neil Bush''s example of Bush Family values. Bushy Bob Allen (Republican, Florida) is not only another RPOF backroom insider, he is also another Florida Republican who did it like they do on the Discovery Channel and Bushie Republican Senator Larry E. Craig certainly fits tightly in Bush''s loyal family. But Senator Vitter continues to stand behind Singing Senator Trent Lott in the Senate and push his pork through as hard as he can. So now we know what made the Singing Senators sing!

"Let the eagle soar...

[okaussie]

Just another episode of BROKEBACK CONGRESS!!! Starring Larry Craig and Mark Foley.

[mcvet]

I''ll say this... I''d rather have an HONEST and OPEN homosexual living next to me anyday rather than someone like Craig or any of the rest of the Religious Riech. With the Honest and Open people you KNOW what you get, with people like Rev. Ted and Craig you NEVER know what kind of toe tappers of peekers you are getting. They will burn your house down for opposing THEIR view of Morals and mollest your kids!! Sieg Heil and Amen

[marcodele]

What hypocrisy. David Vitter gets a standing ovation on the senate floor after admitting to partaking in a criminal *** enterprise, but Craig has to resign after denying a homosexual encounter.

This GOP class of 2000 is up to their neck in *** so thick no matter what they do is hypocritical at this point.

Throw the bums out. Whether Dem, Repub, whatever, if they say one thing then do another, throw them out.

[nolalou]

rharrin1,
If those 2 people want to engage in s-e-x in private that''s one thing , but it is not legal in a public restroom! what if some kid had walked in? The undercover cop was there because of complaints of people walking in on people having *** in the restroom! I for one would NOT want to walk in on something like that! Let them get a hotel, for gods sake!


In addition, that rest room was being investigated for illegal gay prostitution! Rather you believe it''s right or not, prostitution happens to be illegal in most places.

[yamuttya]

There is nothing honourable in the position of America''s "conservatives" on this issue.
They are hate- filled, intolerant bigots who belie their Christianity.
Christ was forgiving.
American "conservatives" are venomous .

There is no similarity.

God created man in his own image.
That image bears no resemblance to Bush''s right wing, hate filled America.

It DOES recall Nazi Germany.

It is a very sad , pathetic, shameful period
( like the Japanese internment )in American history.

Shame America, shame.Bush has led you down the garden path......

[realpatriot1]

An attorney pleads guilty to make a crime "go away" then crys that his actions are miscontrued and misunderstood. A likely story, tell it to the judge.

[mythoughtsr]

This whole story is stupid. The release of the interview and the whole story is unreal. For all we know, the man needed toilet paper. Stings are for lazy cops. If people want to have relations, it''s their business. I think it''s gross, but it''s none of my business.

Other members of Congress expressing their outrage? How comical. They are ALL sooo virtuous.

[doctordonut-2009]

It sure is an interestinging time to be a politician. Exciting times, indeed.

http://www.theweeklydonut.org/index.php/category/bushs-playhouse/

[drummer94]

I am resigning although I did nothing wrong. Hmmmm sounds like, I''m not a crook, I did nothing wrong. LOL

[oakishpines]

'' ... when george washington saw the enemy holding hands and weaving bouquets with little boys, she became enraged and chased them all through the gardens spanking their lazy naked ignorant profane ***** ... ''

[oakishpines]

'' ... it is not a question of will the pharoah and the congress and the nation ultimately fail, it is a question of who will they fail to: wads of girls with bouquets or tiny bundles of men with bombs, and the surest way to ensure the desirable outcome is to be the desirable outcome ... ''

[lastdance2]

RE : Victor2727

Complaints of : S*e*x*u*a*l - Misconduct by Craig
Were made - Beginning in : "1982"

In 1984 - Craig - Was under an Investigation for having
S*E*X* - with - Under Age Pages.
Like Foley - - Another - Closed door Investigation by - The FBI
on behalf of : The Republican (Nazi) Party

Lastdance