Senator Denies Lewd Conduct in Men's Room ; Calls Guilty Plea 'a Poor Decision'

Aug 29, 06:00 PM

Current Headlines: By TODD DVORAK, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOISE, Idaho A defiant Sen. Larry Craig denied any wrongdoing Tuesday despite his guilty plea this summer in a men's room police sting, emphatically adding, "I am not gay. I have never been gay."

Craig, a third-term senator from Idaho, proclaimed his innocence as well as his sexuality less than an hour after Senate leaders from his own Republican Party called for an ethics committee review of his case.

"This is a serious matter," they said in a statement that offered neither support nor criticism of the conservative senator. Issued in the names of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the party leader, and several others, the statement said they were examining "other aspects of the case to determine if additional action is required."

Craig, his wife, Suzanne, at his side, took no questions in a brief appearance in the capital of the state he has represented in Congress for more than two decades in the House and then the Senate.

He had "overreacted and made a poor decision" when he was apprehended by an undercover police officer in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport and later pleaded guilty.

"While I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct in the Minneapolis Airport or anywhere else, I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge in hopes of making it go away," he said.

His account contrasted sharply with the complaint in the case, in which an undercover officer said that Craig, while occupying a stall in the men's room, engaged in actions "often used by persons communicating a desire to engage in sexual conduct."

The official police complaint detailed how Craig allegedly:

* Gazed into the stall of police Sgt. Dave Karsnia through the crack between the door and the frame.

* Entered an adjacent stall and put his roller bag against the front of the stall door.

* Tapped his foot several times and moved it to where it touched Karsnia's foot.

* Passed his left hand under the stall divider into Karsnia's stall with his palm up and guided it along the divider toward the front of the stall three times.

Craig, up for reelection next year, said he would announce his plans next month. On Monday, he resigned from a prominent role with Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

"He's disappointed the American people," Romney said.

Craig, 62, has faced rumors about his sexuality since the 1980s, but allegations that he had engaged in gay sex have never been substantiated. He has denied the assertions.

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