Craig facing heavy Republican pressure to resign

August 30, 2007

Washington, DC - Republicans are calling for Idaho senator Larry (Family Values) Craig to resign two days after it was first reported that the Idaho Republican was arrested in an airport bathroom while cruising for gay sex.

Republicans are calling for Idaho senator Larry (Family Values) Craig to resign two days after it was first reported that the Idaho Republican

The White House says it's "disappointed" by the situation surrounding Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, but says it's up to the Senate GOP Leadership to decide how to handle the matter.

Sen. John McCain called on his embattled colleague to resign Wednesday saying "I believe that he pled guilty and he had the option to plead innocent," McCain said. "So I think he should resign."

"My opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime you shouldn't serve," the Arizona Republican added. "That's not a moral stand, 'holier than thou,' just a factual situation."

"In this case it's clear it was disgraceful," McCain continued.

"Senator Craig pled guilty to a crime involving conduct unbecoming a senator. He should resign," Minnesota senator Norm Coleman said in a statement.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI): "However, he also represents the Republican Party, and I believe that he should step down as his conduct throughout this matter has been inappropriate for a U.S. senator."

Idaho's largest newspaper says get lost

Idaho's largest newspaper is calling on Sen. Larry Craig to resign from office, saying he can no longer effectively serve his home state in the wake of his guilty plea to disorderly conduct charges after being arrested during a sting at a Minneapolis airport men's room in June.

"We cannot abide an elected official who didn't disclose a lewd conduct arrest until the story broke 77 days later -- a lie by omission and a violation of the public trust," the Idaho Statesman said in an editorial that will be published in Thursday's editions. "We cannot afford ... to have a senator who merely provides fodder for bloggers and late-night talk show hosts."

When news of the Craig's guilty plea in a Minnesota court first surfaced Monday, the Statesman's editorial page had called on Idaho residents not to rush to judgment and give the veteran Republican senator a chance to explain himself.

However, after Craig's statement on the matter Tuesday -- in which he denied being gay, insisted he did not engage in inappropriate conduct and said his guilty plea was a "mistake" prompted by the Statesman's own investigation into long-standing rumors about his sexuality -- the newspaper's editorial board changed its mind.