US senator caught in 'gay' sting operation
Pastor Dale Morgan
US senator caught in 'gay' sting operation*
By Alex Spillius in Washington
Last Updated: 2:05am BST 29/08/2007
A Republican senator who represents the conservative state of Idaho and
has voted against gay marriage has admitted disorderly conduct after a
sting operation in the male public toilet of an airport.
Larry Craig was charged after a male undercover policeman testified
Craig had made what the officer interpreted as sexual advances across a
cubicle at Minneapolis-St Paul airport, following complaints from the
public.
He pleaded guilty to the offence three weeks ago and paid a $575 fine,
but after news of the offence broke on Monday, said he should not have
admitted guilt and only did so to "deal with the matter expeditiously".
Craig, who also voted against special protections to gay and lesbian
crime victims, has resigned from his post on the campaign committee for
Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Craig, 62, is married with children and has faced rumours about his
sexuality since the 1980s.
Last night he denied he was gay in a televised statement in his home
state of Idaho, and vowed to explore whether he could reverse a court
judgement against him.
“Let me be clear, I am not gay, I never have been gay,” Craig said in
his combative remarks.
Craig said he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly
conduct this month in a Minnesota court in the hope of covering up
fallout from the incident, and did not even consult a lawyer.
“I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport. I did nothing wrong,”
he said. “I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge in the hopes of
making it go away,” he said, and accused a local newspaper of hounding
him and his family.
“I am asking counsel to review this matter and advise me how to proceed.”
He is the latest senator from President George W. Bush’s party facing
ethical and legal troubles.
David Vitter recently acknowledged that his telephone number appeared in
records of a Washington-area business that prosecutors have said was a
front for prostitution.
Ted Stevens, formerly one of the most powerful senators as chairman of
the Appropriations Committee, is under scrutiny for his relationship
with a contractor who helped oversee a renovation project that more than
doubled the size of the senator’s home.
Polls said Republican ethical lapses were a major reason that voters
transferred power last year in the Senate and the House of
Representatives to the Democrats.
Craig is up for re-election in 2008 but has not said whether he will run.