GOP Senator Enters Guilty Plea Over Lewd Incident In Public Men's Room

Roll Call reports:

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men's public restroom, according to an arrest report obtained by Roll Call Monday afternoon.

Craig's arrest occurred just after noon on June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court. He paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and a 10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation with the court that began on Aug. 8.

A spokesman for Craig described the incident as a "he said/he said misunderstanding," and said the office would release a fuller statement later Monday afternoon.

After he was arrested, Craig, who is married, was taken to the Airport Police Operations Center to be interviewed about the lewd conduct incident, according to the police report. At one point during the interview, Craig handed the plainclothes sergeant who arrested him a business card that identified him as a U.S. Senator and said, "What do you think about that?" the report states. [...]

According to the incident report, Sgt. Dave Karsnia was working as a plainclothes officer on June 11 investigating civilian complaints regarding sexual activity in the men's public restroom in which Craig was arrested.

Airport police previously had made numerous arrests in the men's restroom of the Northstar Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal in connection with sexual activity.

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Comments

[edresearcher]

11:33 AM on 08/28/2007

I used to see this sort of thing as a seminary student at Princeton Theological Seminary in the late 80s. Visiting ministers would soon learn who the handful of openly gay men on campus were, and often I would get a knock on my door (once it was a Baptist from Austin in his bath towel), figuring I was up for sex (to which I always said no). Their arrogance and presumptiveness was beyond belief. And after being in a long term relationship for 11 years now, much longer than most marriages last, I'm certain that my life has been lived far more honestly and morally than most of these losers running around either in the churches or in the political offices. I believe that morality and ethics begin with honesty and truthfulness. All I can conclude is that idiots like these base their lives on nothing but self-deception and dishonesty, delusions and lies. Are these the kind of people who should be making laws and trying to lead a free society?

[PaMike]

11:19 AM on 08/28/2007

1967 - Summer of Love
2007 - Summer of GOP gay public bathroom sex

[booboouu]

11:11 AM on 08/28/2007

It must be rough to be homosexual theses days....the cons reject your actions and the dems are twice as unforgiving....

I didn't realize how much liberal hate homosexuals….

[MikeDu]

11:10 AM on 08/28/2007

I don't care if Craig likes men, women, or critters. Its the holier-than-thou mendacity of the whole right wing crew that gets to me. Sure the late Democratic senator Gary Studds got censured for his conduct (that was a quarter century ago now?) but at least he never claimed he was going to be liften into heaven on the wings of the lord for his moral purity when the rapture arrives.

[byrdland49]

10:56 AM on 08/28/2007

I rarely pray for anything, but for this I'm investing in the Holy Spirit....(from talon.com)

WASHINGTON: Karl Rove, long-time advisor to President Bush, announced his resignation today amidst rumors that a new book by a male homosexual prostitute would finger Rove as secretly gay. Jim Gannon, former reporter for Talon News and rent boy, is publishing a "tell all" book in September tentatively titled "Behind Enemy Lines". Karl Rove apparently fears being exposed as a former customer of Gannon's or his military porn websites like www.hotmilitarystud.com. It has long been rumored that Jim Gannon gained White House briefing room credentials and day passes by offering his services to Karl Rove, including several overnight stays in the White House Buchanan bedroom.

Plus there is also a bit of an Internet buzz about "Fredo" (Alberto Gonzales) being another Gannon customer. All this with Senator Larry Craig of Idaho having plead guilty to "disorderly conduct" for apparently soliciting sex in a Minneapolis airport rest room. He's another gay-bashing Rethug....

[rroy]

10:50 AM on 08/28/2007

I know next to nothing about Senator Craig,or,for that matter most Washington politicians.

I have limited but broader knowledge of the personal life of the more prominant politicos both in power and no longer on the scene.

I am more concerned with their policies and actions concerning National and foreign affairs.

Life has taught me,we all have areas in our private lives where we have feet of clay.In the case of politicians,especialy prominant and powerful ones,exposure of their indiscretions can have far reaching consequences.

The public seems to be far less disaproving of indiscretions that are "Heterosexualy normal"in nature than the various other indiscretions,some of which can be pretty bizaar!

So I guess the old attitude that when it comes to human behavior,nothing surprises me,still has validity!

There are some pretty seedy episodes in the lives of may prominant figures of recent and past history,their political pursasionshaving little to do with it!

Some members of the FDR Cabinet have some pretty sinister "sex skelatens"in the closet.

On the other side of the political spectrum we have figures of the Right like Sen McCarthy,his assistand and buddy Roy Kohn,and good old queeny JEdgar Hoover.

[tcuoohjohn]

10:48 AM on 08/28/2007

Senator Craig's plans for reelection are being reconsidered. Expect a 'retirement' statement soon.

[FrankFurter]

10:22 AM on 08/28/2007

Sure seems like there's a lot of closeted republican politicians getting caught soliciting sex.

Maybe there really is something to all the stories emerging about Washington DC's "elite" pedophile sex parties...

GOP

Guardians
Of
Pedophiles

Why do our republican politicians keep getting caught "trying" to suck so much dick?

If Senator Craig knows how to "ask" a complete stranger for sex in a public place by touching feet under stall wall, then reaching his hand under the stall wall...seems he's done this sort of thing before.

[RecklessAbandonArteest]

10:19 AM on 08/28/2007

Looks like the story has legs for another day on the media. Interesting. I thought it would go to page 3.

[ornery]

12:03 PM on 08/28/2007

When the US Atty firing scandal first came up, I thought "beautiful, long legs".

I'm thinking the same thing about the Repiglican sex scandals.

[tcuoohjohn]

10:16 AM on 08/28/2007

Can you imagine how sad and pathetic this man's life is? He has spent his entire life living a lie. He has known he was homosexual since his adolescence and yet has pretended to be something he isn't. By age 40 when he was implicated in the 80's era Congresional sex/drugs/ and page scandal he hurriedly entered into a lavender marriage with a widow with two children. Craig is still trying to live the lie now.

[RecklessAbandonArteest]

11:18 AM on 08/28/2007

These people don't feel "sad and pathetic." Outsiders looking in, yes, we can say their lives are this way.

Deception, state of denial, feigned or genuine loathing of others, and justification for what they do, are part of their daily routines.

So they do not think they are hypocrites and truly believe they are perfectly normal members, if not pillars, of the community.

No way they are tormented every night when they go to bed. In fact they feel very good about themselves.

Such is the way of human behavior. IMHO.

[ornery]

11:49 AM on 08/28/2007

Actually you're onto a good point:

People like Foley and Craig actually get off on the "danger" aspect of their conduct--transgression, pushing the envelope, edgy, clandestine--adds to their excitement and arousal.

I think the ones like Foley and Clinton are the worst, like the pedophile priests, they take advantage of their position of authority and superiority over young subordinates.

Craig is not down at that level. He probably had many encounters like the one described in the affidavit, with "anonymous" in the next stall who is just as excited and aroused by their mutual transgression as he.


But the ones who impose themselves on interns or alterboys----bad, bad.

[misterbone]

10:10 AM on 08/28/2007

Well, Craig join that ever-growing list of Democrats disguised as Republicans. At least that's what the yokels are saying in Bush World.

[mapman]

10:57 AM on 08/28/2007

On our local online wingnuttery they are calling him a "gay operative" and demanding that he and Foley be questioned until they reveal who they are working for.

And things get stranger and stranger in their fantasy land.

[JohnJames]

11:54 AM on 08/28/2007

Well, that's what homosexiuals do. They infiltrate the good, pure and wholesome and try to destroy it from within. Just like pinko commies.

[LittleBrother]

10:06 AM on 08/28/2007

Talking points for the Craig Defense Team:

• Haven't you ever dropped a contact lens in a public restroom?

• Haven't you ever bent over in a public restroom to check that the toilet mints weren't past their use-by date?

• Haven't you ever reached down to pick up a discarded square of toilet paper when no one else can spare a square?
_________________________________________________

Remember, Craig would never have gone NEAR a restroom had heeded the advice of a colleague and worn a diaper.

[sugarmoes]

10:01 AM on 08/28/2007

gang of perverts

[jim2330]

09:59 AM on 08/28/2007

FOX NOISE ALERT! Senator Larry Craig announces he will perform in a drag benefit in Boise...His stage name will be Gloria Hole..

[Portnoy]

09:58 AM on 08/28/2007

Sigh...

Democrats and Republicans really need to look HARD at who they are support nowadays. Do these people REALLY represent YOUR values?

Craig actually pulled out his "card" and told the officer "what do you think of that"? If I was the officer, I would have tken the card, thrown it into a urinal and peed all over it.