Craig Raises Just
$4,600 for Legal Fees

Since June, outgoing U.S. senator Larry Craig of Idaho has managed to raise just $4,645 to pay for his effort to overturn his guilty plea for disorderly conduct, according to the Pioneer Press.

Following his arrest in a sex sting at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport in 2007, Craig has been fighting his initial guilty plea in Minnesota's courts. He pleaded guilty by mail without consulting an attorney. Once news traveled that Craig had been arrested, he tried to rescind his guilty plea. His latest court appearance was September 10 in front of the Minnesota court of appeals, which denied his request.

The Ethics Committee said Craig's arrest and his attempt to cover it up cast a shadow over the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan committee also found that Craig spent more than $200,000 in leftover campaign money in an attempt to overturn his guilty plea without the the committee's approval. Craig then established the so-called Fund for Justice in June to solicit donations.

Craig, who did not seek reelection this month, will retire in January after nearly three decades in Congress. Idaho lieutenant governor Jim Risch won Craig's seat on Tuesday. (Michelle Garcia, The Advocate)