Say Anything Blog

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) have joined other lawmakers in calling for Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) to resign his post. 

Craig was arrested on June 11th in a bathroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by police officers who were investigating reports of lewd conduct.

Senator Craig subsequently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge on August 8th.

An article that appears in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune details the arrest report filed on Senator Craig.

According to police reports, Craig kept watching the undercover police officer through a crack in the bathroom stall, Roll Call reported. Craig then entered the next-door stall and placed his luggage against the opening under the stall door.

“My experience has shown that individuals engaging in lewd conduct use their bags to block the view from the front of their stall,” said the officer, Sgt. Dave Karsnia.

The report continued: “At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot. ... The presence of others did not seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area.”

The report said that Craig swiped his hand beneath the stall divider several times and that Karsnia showed his police identification under the stall.

Roll Call reported that Craig was detained about 45 minutes and questioned by officers at the Airport Police Operations Center. At one point, police reports said, Craig handed the arresting officer a business card that identified him as a U.S. senator and said, “What do you think about that?”

Senator Craig has maintained his innocence and is blaming his guilty plea on frustration caused by Idaho’s biggest newspaper, The Idaho Statesman, looking into his past.

Senator Craig also claims that he didn’t do anything wrong in the Minneapolis bathroom on June 11th, saying he has a “wide stance” on the toilet and he was picking up a piece of paper on the bathroom floor.  Officers misconstrued the situation and it led to his arrest. His explanations of the events only discredit his argument.  Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich) in an interview with the AP has said that Craig’s explanations are “not credible.”

When are people going to take responsibility for their own actions? Senator Craig should stand up and be a man, admit your mistakes and ask for forgiveness instead of pointing fingers at everyone else. 

Why plead guilty to a crime if you are innocent?  If Senator Craig did nothing wrong, then why not stand up and fight the charges? Innocent people do not plead guilty to crimes. Why try to influence the police with a business card stating your status as a U.S. Senator and ask “What do you think about that?” Does he think he is above the law?