| − | '''Larry Craig''' (b. July 20, 1945) has been a [[Republican]] [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] from the state of [[Idaho]] since 1991. From 1981 to 1991 he represented Idaho in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. He is generally considered to be a social conservative and is also a strong advocate of the proposed Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. Senator Craig is likely a [[Homosexual]], as he was arrested for lewd conduct on June 11, 2007 for allegedly petitioning a police officer for sex in the men's restroom of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport . | + | '''Larry Craig''' (b. July 20, 1945) has been a [[Republican]] [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] from the state of [[Idaho]] since 1991. From 1981 to 1991 he represented Idaho in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. He is generally considered to be a social conservative and is also a strong advocate of the proposed Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. |
| − | On September 1, 2007, Craig announced he intended to resign from the Senate (effective September 30, 2007) after reports surfaced about an incident in June which he was arrested on a charge of lewd conduct for petitioning a police officer for sexual favors inside a men's restroom. 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. 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 in June 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. Given a choice of immediately going to jail to process a plea of innocence, Craig agreed to plea guilty so he could finish his final flight home.<ref>Ibid.</ref> 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. 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> |