The Washington Independent » larry craig

DeMint: Uncommitted on the Fate of Sanford

Mike Lillis — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:51:59 +0000

As Dave pointed out last week, some conservatives aren’t mincing words about their desire to see disgraced South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) step away from the national stage following revelations of an extramarital affair. Others, though, are treading much more carefully around the issue, favoring a strategy of wait-and-see.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), for example, told Fox News this morning that he’s “disappointed” in Sanford, but he’s not ready to ask to governor to resign, arguing that his capacity to govern hinges largely on the health of his marriage.

I’m not sure where he is in his personal life with his wife. And that does have a lot to do whether or not he should continue. South Carolina needs some strong leadership right now, so if he’s not together … We need to do what’s best for our state, and we are looking at that right now.

DeMint, of course, had urged former Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) to step down after his arrest for lewd conduct in an airport men’s room. Heterosexual flings, it seems, don’t threaten family values quite so much.

Larry Craig Returns

David Weigel — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:49:27 +0000

Justin Hart tweets from the off-the-record weekly meeting of conservatives hosted by Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform.

Holy Crap! Larry Craig is here at the Norquist Wednesday meeting. Everyone is just a little bit nervous around him.

Especially now! The Wednesday meeting typically includes representatives More...

MN Court Rejects Craig’s Bid to Withdraw Sex-Sting Plea

Mike Lillis — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:19:07 +0000

With the news that Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested today for allegedly peddling power all over the state, who has any interest in an ongoing sex scandal?

Right — everyone.

A Minnesota appeals court this morning rejected the latest bid by outgoing Idaho Sen. Larry Craig (R) to withdraw his guilty plea in the sex scandal that led to his imminent retirement at the end of this year.

Craig, a conservative who spent a career touting an adherence to family values, was arrested in June 2007 for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover policeman in a Minneapolis airport. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, apparently thinking the episode wouldn’t leak. (Note to lawmakers: These things always leak.)

When Roll Call broke the story in August, Craig denied that he’s gay, claiming only that he “made a poor decision” when he entered the guilty plea, which he’s been trying to withdraw ever since. The Minnesota State Court of Appeals was the latest to dismiss the request, upholding the earlier verdict of a district court. From the court’s statement, via The Hill:

“Appellant has not shown that the district court abused its discretion in denying his petition to withdraw his guilty plea,” Judge Edward Toussaint Jr. stated in the 10-page ruling.

With the Senate likely to leave town for the year at the end of this week, Craig will exit the national stage (at least for now), and perhaps this story will go away forever. Pray that that’s the case.