| − | On September 1, 2007, Craig announced he intended to resign from the Senate (effective September 30, 2007) after reports surfaced about an incident on June 11th, 2007 which he was arrested on a [[misdemeanor]] charge in a Minneapolis police airport sting operation in which Craig claimed entrapment.<ref>[http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/Craigtranscript.pdf Transcript of arrest interview] [http://www.break.com/index/senator-craig-police-audio-tape.html Audio]</ref> Craig is a regular commuter through the Minneapolis airport. After his arrest, Craig indicated he planned to plead guilty to the charges and continued on his trip. He had hoped to keep the arrest quiet, didn’t consult a lawyer, and he never told family, friends, staff or colleagues about the incident. Senator Craig returned to Minneapolis on August 8th, 2007 and plead guilty to <ref>[http://www.startribune.com/587/story/1386023.html Monday: Idaho senator fined for lewd behavior at Minneapolis airport]</ref> After the incident became public, Craig hired two Washington criminal defense lawyers, Stan Brand, who has defended lawmakers before, and Billy Martin, whose most recent client was NFL quarterback [[Michael Vick]]. Craig also retained one of the capital’s top public-relations experts, Judy Smith, who handled press for [[Monica Lewinsky]] and more recently for U.S. Rep. [[William Jefferson]].<ref>[http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/149810.html Craig may not quit after all if he's cleared of charges, spokesman says], By GREGORY HAHN AND ERIKA BOLSTAD - ''Idaho Statesman'', 09/04/07.</ref> | + | On September 1, 2007, Craig announced he intended to resign from the Senate (effective September 30, 2007) after reports surfaced about an incident on June 11th, 2007 which he was arrested on a [[misdemeanor]] charge in a Minneapolis police airport sting operation in which Craig claimed entrapment.<ref>[http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/Craigtranscript.pdf Transcript of arrest interview] [http://www.break.com/index/senator-craig-police-audio-tape.html Audio]</ref> Craig is a regular commuter through the Minneapolis airport. After his arrest, Craig indicated he planned to plead guilty to the charges and continued on his trip. He had hoped to keep the arrest quiet, didn’t consult a lawyer, and he never told family, friends, staff or colleagues about the incident. Senator Craig returned to Minneapolis on August 8th, 2007 and plead guilty to disorderly conduct.<ref>John, McArdle,[http://www.rollcall.com/cgi-bin/texis/scripts/rollcall-search/search.html?subscriber_search=true&query=%22Craig+Arrested%2C+Pleads+Guilty+Following+Incident+in+Airport+Restroom+but+Says+He+Did+Nothing+Wrong&x=8&y=7 Craig Arrested, Pleads Guilty Following Incident in Airport Restroom but Says He Did Nothing Wrong], ''Roll Call'', August 27, 2007.</ref> After the incident became public, Craig hired two Washington criminal defense lawyers, Stan Brand, who has defended lawmakers before, and Billy Martin, whose most recent client was NFL quarterback [[Michael Vick]]. Craig also retained one of the capital’s top public-relations experts, Judy Smith, who handled press for [[Monica Lewinsky]] and more recently for U.S. Rep. [[William Jefferson]].<ref>[http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/149810.html Craig may not quit after all if he's cleared of charges, spokesman says], By GREGORY HAHN AND ERIKA BOLSTAD - ''Idaho Statesman'', 09/04/07.</ref> |