Craig Said to Consider Not Resigning

[GenMarshall]

Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho opened the door Tuesday to returning to the Senate, creating another twist in his unfolding political drama and raising the possibility of an ugly showdown with national Republican leaders.

Dan Whiting, a spokesman for Mr. Craig, an Idaho Republican, said Tuesday night that Mr. Craig had not ruled out reversing his plan to step down Sept. 30. After intense pressure from Republican colleagues in the Senate, Mr. Craig announced Saturday that it would be best for “the people of Idaho” if he resigned after the disclosure of his guilty plea last month to disorderly conduct charges stemming from his arrest in June in a Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport bathroom.

“As he stated on Saturday, Senator Craig intends to resign on Sept. 30,” Mr. Whiting said in a statement. “However, he is fighting these charges, and should he be cleared before then, he may, and I emphasize may, not resign.”

The potential change of heart followed moves by Mr. Craig to mount an aggressive challenge to the charges, hiring well-known lawyers to handle the criminal case and any Senate ethics inquiry into the incident, as well as a communications firm that specializes in crisis management.

Stanley M. Brand, a lawyer hired by Mr. Craig to resolve any complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee, said he had advised Mr. Craig not to resign, and said doing so would set a bad precedent in the Senate.

“I think what it does is it takes away some bargaining power that you would otherwise have to resolve it in some mutually acceptable way,” Mr. Brand said Tuesday night. Mr. Brand also said the Senate should not consider ethics complaints arising from “personal conduct misdemeanors that have no bearing on performance of official duties.”

Mr. Craig has been encouraged by Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee who is a former prosecutor, to contest the charges.

Mr. Craig was fined $500 and placed on unsupervised probation for a year, and the case has touched off a political furor.

Mr. Craig has said his actions in the bathroom were misinterpreted by an undercover police officer as a sexual advance; the officer reported the lawmaker’s actions fit those typical of men seeking sexual activity in the restroom.

Any backtracking from Mr. Craig is not likely to go over well with Republican leaders. Within hours of the incident’s becoming public, the Senate leadership initiated an ethics inquiry, stripped him of his committee leadership positions and let Mr. Craig know he could face public hearings into his conduct if he chose to try to survive the furor.

A top Senate Republican aide, after hearing about Mr. Craig’s possible return Tuesday night, suggested that Mr. Craig was desperate.

“The people of Idaho and the rest of America were led to believe Senator Craig would resign,” said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “To go back on that intent means that he will only be a negative distraction for his colleagues. Like a fish out of water, he is gasping for his last breath of political air.”

Late Tuesday, Roll Call, the newspaper that covers Congress and first broke the story of Mr. Craig’s guilty plea, posted on its Web site an audiotape of a voice message the senator apparently intended for a lawyer of his, Billy Martin, on Saturday morning as he was heading to the news conference in which he announced his intention to resign. In the message, Mr. Craig indicated he could reconsider resigning.

“Arlen Specter is now willing to come out in my defense, arguing that it appears by all that he knows that I’ve been railroaded, all of that,” the senator said. “Having all of that, we’ve reshaped my statement a little bit to say it is my intent to resign on Sept. 30.”

Jon Hanian, a spokesman for Gov. C. L. Otter of Idaho, said Tuesday night that the governor learned that Mr. Craig was wavering on his resignation after a inquiry by a reporter about the possibility earlier in the day.

Mr. Hanian also said the possibility that the senator would reconsider his resignation “has been buzzing around the delegation.”

“We have not had anything official or formal from Larry Craig’s office,” Mr. Hanian said.

The governor has yet to appoint a successor to fill Mr. Craig’s Senate seat. Asked if the governor might be delaying making the appointment because he had advance knowledge that Mr. Craig might reconsider his resignation, Mr. Hanian said, “No, I don’t believe that’s it.”

In Washington on Tuesday, Senate Republicans had sought to portray the matter as concluded in the wake of Mr. Craig’s announcement on Saturday.

“I think the episode is over,” Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, told reporters. “We’ll have a new senator from Idaho at some point in the next month or so and we’re going to move on.”

Mr. McConnell distinguished the Craig incident from other embarrassing controversies involving Senate Republicans this summer, saying Mr. Craig had entered a guilty plea to the charges against him, which resolved any legal ambiguities.

Source: New York Times

Looks like he might be sticking around.

 

[LucyDuke]

Why bother? He's already made a perfectly thorough ass of himself. He should just go away as quietly as he can.

 

[A1CBOZ]

He should have been gone long ago

 

[warpus]

Looks like he might be sticking around.

pun intended?

 

[Atlas14]

Why bother? He's already made a perfectly thorough ass of himself.

In case there's a shortage of gay Republicans influencing public policy. Lately, too many have left.

 

[MobBoss]

Why not? Have the Dems booted William Jefferson...the democrat that had 90k in marked bills in his freezer? No?

Hypocrits anyone?

Oh...and Jefferson did a bit more than just tap his toe in a mens bathroom....a grand jury has indicted him on 16 counts of corruption. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

And yet he is still serving in congress.....

And yet, Nacy Pelosi says "Democrats are committed to upholding a high ethical standard and eliminating corruption and unethical behavior from the Congress"

Riiiiiight.

 

[warpus]

What was he trying to do anyway? I sorta missed the fiasco. I watched a part of a CNN feature on it but it didn't really explain much.

He tried to feel some random guy up in the bathroom, right? By putting his hand underneath the stall divider and feeling up his leg? And this guy turned out to be a cop, so he got in trouble?

 

[Equuleus]

We will know if he is staying if he taps his foot 5 times pauses 10 seconds taps his foot 3 times again then sticks his hand under the stall divider...

 

[downtown]

Why not? Have the Dems booted William Jefferson...the democrat that had 90k in marked bills in his freezer? No?

Hypocrits anyone?

Oh...and Jefferson did a bit more than just tap his toe in a mens bathroom....a grand jury has indicted him on 16 counts of corruption. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

And yet he is still serving in congress.....

And yet, Nacy Pelosi says "Democrats are committed to upholding a high ethical standard and eliminating corruption and unethical behavior from the Congress"

Riiiiiight.

He was stripped of leadership positions. The DNC cannot refuse to seat him...its not their fault the morons down in New Orleans keep re-electing him.

 

[emzie]

He was stripped of leadership positions. The DNC cannot refuse to seat him...its not their fault the morons down in New Orleans keep re-electing him.

They can kick him from the party though, can they not?

 

[downtown]

Im not sure...I dont think that's ever happened. In the 1960s, a congressman named Powell from NYC was denied his seat (even though he won), because of claims of corruption and wrongdoing. He took it to the SOCUS and won.

Stripping a guy of his leadership perks and waiting for the law, or voters, to get him appears to be about the most they can do. Dean could ask for him to resign...Im not sure if anybody has or not.

 

[MobBoss]

Im not sure...I dont think that's ever happened. In the 1960s, a congressman named Powell from NYC was denied his seat (even though he won), because of claims of corruption and wrongdoing. He took it to the SOCUS and won.

Stripping a guy of his leadership perks and waiting for the law, or voters, to get him appears to be about the most they can do. Dean could ask for him to resign...Im not sure if anybody has or not.

Well, if they can force Craig to resign as has been on all the news....why cant they force Jefferson to resign?

Most likely it is because Jefferson has yet to be convicted of his felonies, while Craig did plead guilty to his misdemeanor.

But it sure does look out of whack doesnt it? Jefferson with his 16 counts from the Grand Jury still going strong....and Craig with his misdemeanor being censured by the rest of congress. Crazy.

 

[Mango]

Why not? Have the Dems booted William Jefferson...the democrat that had 90k in marked bills in his freezer? No?

Hypocrits anyone?

Oh...and Jefferson did a bit more than just tap his toe in a mens bathroom....a grand jury has indicted him on 16 counts of corruption. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

And yet he is still serving in congress.....

And yet, Nacy Pelosi says "Democrats are committed to upholding a high ethical standard and eliminating corruption and unethical behavior from the Congress"

Riiiiiight.

Well the thing is he's still afforded due process. There's only so much you can do.

Craig would be afforded the same liberties, except he's kind of already admitted guilt. Even still he is technically allowed to fight it till the bitter end...

 

[MobBoss]

Well the thing is he's still afforded due process. There's only so much you can do.

Craig would be afforded the same liberties, except he's kind of already admitted guilt. Even still he is technically allowed to fight it till the bitter end...

Well, it was only a misdemeanor. Its almost like being forced to resign over a traffic ticket.

 

[The Yankee]

Im not sure...I dont think that's ever happened. In the 1960s, a congressman named Powell from NYC was denied his seat (even though he won), because of claims of corruption and wrongdoing. He took it to the SOCUS and won.

Stripping a guy of his leadership perks and waiting for the law, or voters, to get him appears to be about the most they can do. Dean could ask for him to resign...Im not sure if anybody has or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Clayton_Powell,_Jr.

Pretty famous in Harlem, though that case probably did set a precedent for why he couldn't be forced unless he were convicted of something. I heard somewhere that it's been a very, very long time since a Senator was ousted, but I got home tired from a long day and wasn't paying 100% attention.

Craig could probably make it to 2008, but he might be primaried out of a job if he stayed. As for Jefferson, blame those in his district that keep sending that rotten fellow to the Capitol.....

 

[The Yankee]

But it sure does look out of whack doesnt it? Jefferson with his 16 counts from the Grand Jury still going strong....and Craig with his misdemeanor being censured by the rest of congress. Crazy.

But it's something that made everyone else go "Eeeewwwwwww!!!!" And that's totally different.

That said, Congress rallies around its own on investigations. Did so for the raid on Jefferson's office and some have also done the same when Ted Stevens's place (home or office, I can't remember which) were raided.

 

[emzie]

Im not sure...I dont think that's ever happened. In the 1960s, a congressman named Powell from NYC was denied his seat (even though he won), because of claims of corruption and wrongdoing. He took it to the SOCUS and won.

Stripping a guy of his leadership perks and waiting for the law, or voters, to get him appears to be about the most they can do. Dean could ask for him to resign...Im not sure if anybody has or not.

I don't see why Dean couldn't kick him from the party. I mean, he'd retain his seat (something that cannot be denied him, if he chooses to keep it -- pending prison, impeachment ect ect or something!), just as an independent.

 

[malclave]

What was he trying to do anyway? I sorta missed the fiasco.

Accused of attempting to solicit sex in a public restroom, plead guilty to disorderly conduct (I think).

I don't think there are any Senate rules requiring resignation for misdemeanors. If I'm correct in that, I say let Sen. Craig and his constituents decide.

If he doesn't want to resign, then the voters in Idaho have the option of not reelecting him (I think he's up in 2008?), or recalling him.

 

[.Shane.]

Why not? Have the Dems booted William Jefferson...the democrat that had 90k in marked bills in his freezer? No?

Hypocrits anyone?

Oh...and Jefferson did a bit more than just tap his toe in a mens bathroom....a grand jury has indicted him on 16 counts of corruption. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

And yet he is still serving in congress.....

And yet, Nacy Pelosi says "Democrats are committed to upholding a high ethical standard and eliminating corruption and unethical behavior from the Congress"

Riiiiiight.

Downtown hit it. This is one of your famous things where you either are playing dumb or conveniently misrepresenting how things work. They can't stop him from running. Nor can they keep idiots people from voting for him.

And, for the record, I'm not one of those who said Craig should resign. He has, what, 1 year left? Let him ride it out, just ban him from all committee memberships, etc..

TBH, the smart political move by the Repubs would be to get him to step down because his successor can use that year to build a base for the 2008 election (assuming that's when his seat was up).

Going back to Jefferson, yeah, I do think the Dems failed in not pushing him harder to resign. And, there is a loophole that they could've used to lock him out of Congress. IIRC, there's a formality of Congressman being sworn in. There have been historical occasions of Congress refusing to swear in Congressmen and, thus, denying them their seat. However, that may be illegal by now, I'm not sure.

edit: look like downtown already answered my last question.... too bad.

 

[.Shane.]

Craig would be afforded the same liberties, except he's kind of already admitted guilt. Even still he is technically allowed to fight it till the bitter end...

I don't think so. You can't appeal a plea bargin, can you?

Or are you hoping that bigpapa Bush will pardon him?