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August 29, 2007

Craig denies culpability—and being gay

Craig denies culpability—and being gay

Under fire from leaders of his own party, Idaho U.S. senator Larry Craig on Tuesday said the only thing he had done wrong was to plead guilty after a complaint of lewd conduct in a men's room. He declared, ''I am not gay. I never have been gay.''

''I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport,'' he said at a news conference in Boise with his wife, Suzanne, at his side.

Craig's defiant news conference came as Senate Republican leaders in Washington, D.C., called for an ethics committee review into his involvement in a police sting operation this summer in the airport men's room.

''In the meantime, the leadership is examining other aspects of the case to see if additional action is required,'' Sen. Mitch McConnell and other top GOP lawmakers said in a written statement.

Earlier, the private group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the ethics committee, seeking an investigation into whether Craig violated Senate rules by engaging in disorderly conduct.

Craig entered his plea several weeks after an undercover police officer in the Minneapolis airport arrested him and issued a complaint that said the three-term senator had engaged in actions ''often used by persons communicating a desire to engage in sexual conduct.''

The airport incident occurred June 11. Craig signed his plea papers on August 1, and word of the events surfaced Monday. The senator issued a statement Monday night that said, ''In hindsight, I should have pled not guilty.''

He repeated that assertion at the Idaho news conference. ''In June, I overreacted and made a poor decision,'' he said. ''I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge in hopes of making it go away.''

Craig was at times defiant, at others apologetic.

''Please let me apologize to my family, friends, and staff and fellow Idahoans for the cloud placed over Idaho,'' he said. ''I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport. I did nothing wrong, and I regret the decision to plead guilty and the sadness that decision has brought on my wife, on my family, friends, staff, and fellow Idahoans.''

The conservative senator, who has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter century, is up for reelection next year. He said he would announce next month whether he would run again.

Craig, who has voted against same-sex marriage, finds his political future in doubt in the wake of the charges, which have drawn national attention.

Craig, 62, has faced rumors about his sexuality since the 1980s, but allegations that he had engaged in gay sex have never been substantiated. Craig has denied the assertions, which he has called ridiculous. (Todd Dvorak, AP)

© 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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