Larry Craig's Legal Bills: How Much Is He Paying For His "Wide Stance"?

...$407,000 since his arrest on June 11 for soliciting sex in a Minnesota airport men's room.

Read below to see how Larry Craig is managing to pay for what he says is his "wide stance" AND not a sex-solicitation.

Per the Senate ethics committee's Feb. 13 "admonition" of him for his guilty plea to disorderly conduct charges, Craig has not paid any of his top-flight lawyers from his campaign committee since early February. The last legal payment from Craig for U.S. Senate, in the form of an $80,695 check, went out on Feb. 3 to Billy Martin's firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan.

According to reports his campaign committee filed with the Federal Election Commission, that put Craig's total legal tab at more than $407,000 since he was arrested June 11 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in an undercover sting designed to root out lewd behavior.

Comments

[aceholiday]

he loves that flag lapel pin

[MaracaKabob]

Somehow, Larry's flag-pin failed to either save him from arrest or find him a bathroom buddy. What good is the flag-pin then anyhow?

[Brooklynindy]

Oh come on - EVERYONE knows that flag pins deflect bullets, cast spells on your opponents, make you gush with patriotism, appease hicks in Latrobe, PA...

[davefoc]

OK, he cruised for sex in a public bathroom and lied about it. Not exactly major crimes, but throwing $407 K of his campaign fund away on a useless legal defense? What a frickin moron. Nice use of the people's money that gave it to him to help him get elected. Doesn''t say much for our electoral system when scumbags like this can get elected.

[elbzee]

Doesn't say much for our voting public either!

[sws3030]

As a gay man, I hope Larry Cgaig continues to be "straight" and doesnt start playing for our team.

Since everybody knows his face now, I am guessing he can't cruise the bathrooms anymore anyhow.

[Joeinloth]

Yeah - this dude can't turn on a light.

[swift_goat_pet_for_truth]

Are you telling me that there are no gay political groupies?
That is hard to believe.

[MarkInEugene]

When I see a United States Senator who has the power to negatively affect the lives of millions of American's behave in such a twisted, dysfunctional manner, it destroys any hope that I have of competent leadership in this country. And it's not about being gay or being anything; it's about unethical, slimy behavior! If he were a forthright, honorable, civil gay man who fought for the rights of all Americans and who focused on those things that uplift humanity, I would have nothing but praise for him. But his denial is so severe and so transparent that the man is truly a pathetic, sad and destructive individual that has absolutely no business being a representative of the people.

He fits the pattern of a closeted gay, conservative far too hung up to ever face the truth that he is exactly the type of person that he has voted against his entire political life. He has worked tirelessly over the years to characterize gay and lesbian Americans as immoral, unfit, second class citizens not deserving of equal treatment under the law. And while carrying this crusade, he"s been secretly behaving in a manner that decent gay and lesbian Americans do not condone or view as acceptable. I only hope the people of Idaho stop focusing on preference and start focusing on behavior!

[GeoLee]

If I would have ever contributed to his campaign, I would be pretty upset about how he usaed my donation. Howver, I would never have ever contributed to his camapign in the first place. Buf from what I read inthe article, his campaign contributers are paying for his "indiscretions" and not him. Just another example of a Republican not taking responsibility for his behavior.

[MancRat]

Just why is this coming out of campaign funds anyway?

More Repugnican misappropriations?

[mbaty]

No more separation of church and state! Craig and Haggard = 4Ever!

[Roberta]

Can't help but notice that big-bucks legal teams aren't what they are cracked up to be. Craig is out of a job and a target of latenight comix and satirists. He couldn't had that from day 1, saving himself the drama and $407,000.

[ElPerro]

I'm sure that he's getting plenty of "wingnut welfare" from the far right groups and corporate interests that he represents.

[SILVANUS]

All he had to do is say "yes I like sex with guys, too." He could've saved 405K!

A prisoner of his own b.s. and his bootlicking the bigots to get a vote.

People in glass stalls should should not toss bricks, dude.

[jerrypenguin]

The front and profile photographs of Larry Craig are excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing the same type of photos of the current Washington, DC and Wall Street leadership. It would be appreciated if all of the photos are properly numbered.

[Rog49Thomas]

Did you notice the flag lapel pin?

Priceless!

[FZliveson]

"Your flag decal won't get you into Heaven any more!"

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp1mIYJNKWQ)

[kinmin]

Here's a question I've never seen addressed. If Craig was using the men's room for its intended purpose and he was, as he claims, sitting on the toilet with his pants down, how could he possibly have a "wide stance"? Try it at home. Drop your pants and see how "wide" your feet can get. Not very wide, because the pants are restricted to the widest point (probably the waist). Craig is a fit, reasonably slim person, so his pants around his ankles wouldn't allow him to have a "wide stance." I'd like to see him wiggle out of that, a la O.J., in a courtroom. Why would he be sitting on the toilet with his pants on (as they appear to have been) unless he was 1) soliciting sex, or 2) senile? For the record, I don't think he's guilty of anything other than crass stupidity and hypocrisy. He's gay and was soliciting sex from someone who he believed was a consenting adult. It's his arguments that astound me and belie credibility.

[MrJoyboy]

Maybe he already had his pants off.

[TXfemmom]

Excellent point. LOLLL

[ugmold]

So obvious...why can't others realize this?

Our Goverment is Pure Scum

[BobSF94117]

$400K??!?!??! For what? Are his lawyers hiring hookers or something????

[PaulRaymond]

Actually, I believe that some of them ARE hookers. Well, whores anyway.

[lobo1939]

What was Larry Craig's offence? He may have broken some 19th century sodomy law. SO WHAT! Does consenting adults ring a bell. Yes I know that Larry Craig is a hypocrit. He will have his seat in the senate jerked away from him by his holier than thou hypocrital constituatants but why do we on a liberal blog have to pile on him. There are plenty of Hagees and Pat Robinsons out there who make a career out of slamming gays and lebians. It dosen't benifit us one bit to be acting like a bunch of snickering peeping toms. Wouldn't it be nice if the Larry Craig's of the world felt free, unrestrained, to share a life with a lover, same sex, transgender, or whatever, instead of crusing for action in public restrooms?

[pigsatthetrough]

If he wanted to be a consenting adult, why not go into the washroom, have a conversation, and go somewhere that he is permitted to have his sex. It is illegal in this public washroom, where he chose to break the law. Those of us who are not biggots, nor anti gay, do not want to go into washrooms that are being used for sex, as we might have children with us. We are adults and allow for consensual sex, however we are not desirous of seeing it on the beaches, in the washrooms, or in your car as your drive by. Nice try although the 19th century sodomy law, plainly is not what this is about.

[KevinFletcherTweedy]

The offense is turning a public restroom into a sex venue, lobo. As the saying goes, there's a time and a place. Now, personally, I abhor the treatment gay folk get about signs of affection in public, but engaging in random sex in public places just can't be encouraged nor condoned. The rather satisfying feeling in seeing all of Craig's woes (politically, financially and publicly) is that the guy is apparently a born hypocrite and a bible-thumping gay basher who joined his ultra-right brethren in the Senate to condemn behavior and then engaged in it. (The ultimate closet case -- it's so rich with hubris, isn't it?)

And so it goes. For me, it would be just so delicious if the Republicans lost his Senate seat in the November elections and the electorate in his state woke up and elected an "out" gay man or woman. Perhaps it won't happen, but one can dream.

[dennybop]

I'm suprised anyone would need to ask "what was Larry Craig's offence?". Cruising for action in a public toilet is illegal in most places...It would not have not been illegal if Craig had propositioned a male or female only a foot outside the men's room door. I believe that propositioning someone for sex should be quite a different thing than perfoming sex in a public place...including toilets. Mr. Craig was victim of a sting in which no real crime took place.
But the sad fact is that Larry Craig made his own bed. It is not society alone that is to blame for Craig's and others furtive behavior. Larry Craig chose to be a self-loathing hypocrite rather than live his life openly and freely no matter the consequences. It is still difficult, in the 21st Century to be openly gay, but he has done himself and others no great service by being on the down-low.

[thatsitfortheotherone]

I don't care about his sex life.

I do care that he is still aiding and abetting the ruin of America.

And if it takes a blowjob (or seeking thereof) to get him booted, I'm not going to complain.

[chelseafc]

don't you dare pick on us lebians

[ming099]

......yeah.......as a closet lebian I am appalled...........

[dezzertguy]

Why is his campaign paying the bills? He should be paying them personally. Really, he should be out of the Senate.

[Driver125]

Why? Because that kind of bigotry combined with that kind of hypocrisy doesn't come cheap. If you want that real down-home homophobia that the good senator can provide you sometimes have to pay for it.

[thatsitfortheotherone]

Yep.