Another GOP Lawmaker Busted In Washroom
by The Associated Press

Posted: August 27, 2007 - 6:30 pm ET
Updated 8:00 pm ET

(Minneapolis, Minnesota) Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho pleaded guilty this month to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after being arrested at the Minneapolis airport.

A Hennepin County court docket showed Craig pleading guilty to the disorderly conduct charge Aug. 8, with the court dismissing a charge of gross misdemeanor interference to privacy.

The court docket said the Republican senator paid $575 in fines and fees. He was put on unsupervised probation for a year. A sentence of 10 days in the county workhouse was stayed.

Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, which first reported the case, said on its Web site Monday that Craig was arrested June 11 by a plainclothes officer investigating complaints of lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the airport.

Craig, a social conservative, supported both attempts to advance a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and opposes adding sexuality to the groups covered under hate crime laws and to a bill protecting LGBT workers.

Craig said in a statement issued by his office Monday that he was not involved in any inappropriate conduct.

"At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions," he said. "I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."

Craig, 62, is married and in his third term in the Senate. He is up for re-election next year. He was a member of the House for 10 years before winning election to the Senate in 1990.

He has been one of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's top Senate supporters, serving as a Senate liaison for the campaign since February. As word spread of Craig's guilty plea, a Romney campaign spokesman, Matt Rhoades, said in a statement: "Senator Craig has stepped down from his role with the campaign. He did not want to be a distraction and we accept his decision."

Sidney Smith, a Craig aide in Boise, said Monday afternoon that the senator was "in the (Boise) area" but was declining to give interviews.

Minneapolis airport police declined to provide a copy of the arrest report after business hours Monday.

Roll Call, citing the report, said Sgt. Dave Karsnia made the arrest after an encounter in which he was seated in a stall next to a stall occupied by Craig. Karsnia described Craig tapping his foot, which Karsnia said he "recognized as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct."

Roll Call quoted the Aug. 8 police report as saying that Craig had handed the arresting officer a business card that identified him as a member of the Senate.

"What do you think about that?" Craig is alleged to have said, according to the report.

Last fall, Craig called allegations from a gay-rights activist that he's had homosexual relationships "completely ridiculous."

Mike Rogers, who bills himself as a gay activist blogger, published the allegations on his Web site, http://www.blogactive.com , in October 2006.

Craig hasn't said if he plans to run for a fourth term in 2008. An announcement was expected this fall. His spokesman, Smith, was uncertain if Craig's guilty plea would affect his re-election plans.

"It's too early to talk about anything about that," Smith told The Associated Press.

J. Kirk Sullivan, chairman of the Idaho Republican Party, declined to comment on the situation, saying he was unaware of the nature of the charges against Craig.

Craig Arrested, Pleads Guilty Following Incident in Airport Restroom

so THAT'S the paper bag trick that all the straight people know about! LOL I read it on a few threads here, and had no idea what it meant! LOL

learn something new every day

If he wanted toilet paper, he should have just asked for it!

What's the friggin deal is it with these bathrooms and male same gender sex?

Badpuppy's GayToday: Health News

Oh. Now I understand.

I think a far better question (and certainly more on-topic to this thread - ahem) would be "what's the friggin deal is it with these bathrooms and male same gender sex with GOP anti-gay legislation writing congressmen, senators, and christian tele evangelists"

Ha. Well, having been a newspaper reporter in Idaho for many years, I've met Craig in person on several occassion.

Never been in a bathroom with him though....

remember Elaine trying to get toilet paper in a restroom booth next to Jerry's girlfriend?

LOL

At this point, I have lost track of how many such "good Christian men" have gone down the very path they are trying to save the rest of us from.

And of course, these are only the ones WE HEAR ABOUT. It seems naive to believe that every such case actually ends up in the news.

To those who are in situations like this, but have not been outed yet, I'd like to say...

Hypocritically trying to pray the gay away doesn't work.
Hypocritically trying to legislate the gay away doesn't work.

Here's what will work. Stop being a hypocrite, and start being yourself.
THAT is something that we can respect.

Sorry, I don't have a square to spare!

And are you thinking now that's probably a good thing?