A
conservative Republican House member from Michigan
became the first lawmaker to call for Sen. Larry
Craig's resignation on Wednesday, and the White House
expressed disappointment in the case of the Idaho
senator caught in a men's room undercover police operation.
Rep. Pete
Hoekstra said Craig ''represents the Republican party'' and
called for his resignation, ''as his conduct throughout this
matter has been inappropriate for a U.S. senator.''
Craig pleaded
guilty in August to a charge of disorderly conduct
following his arrest in a men's room at the Minneapolis
airport. He has since recanted his guilty plea, and he
said on Tuesday he did nothing wrong.
Senate Republican
leaders have called on the ethics committee to review
Craig's case, and White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said
he hoped the panel could do its work quickly.
''That would be
in the best interests of the Senate and the people of
Idaho,'' he said.
Stanzel gave no
expression of support for Craig. ''We are disappointed in
the matter. It has been referred to the Senate Ethics
Committee, so they will have to deal with it,''
Stanzel said.
There were fresh
signs of difficulty for Craig.
Tom Fitton,
president of the Judicial Watch, issued a statement calling
on the senator to consider stepping down. The organization
is a self-described conservative government watchdog
group.
''Senator Craig
admittedly engaged in illegal activity that brings
serious disrepute to the public office he holds,'' Fitton
said.
While the Idaho
Values Alliance called on Tuesday for Craig's
resignation, Fitton's suggestion that the senator leave
office portended tenuous support among conservatives
who make up his core political supporters.
Craig, 62, a
third-term senator up for reelection next year, defended
himself Tuesday against a police report alleging he
attempted to engage in a homosexual encounter with an
undercover officer.
Flanked by his
wife, Suzanne, Craig stated three times that he was not
gay. He cast his arrest for lewd conduct as unfounded, and
said his subsequent guilty plea to disorderly conduct
was an error in judgment spurred by frustration with
the state's biggest newspaper prying into his past.
The Idaho
Statesman published a lengthy story on Tuesday, a
day after the June 11 arrest was first reported, detailing
allegations of homosexual behavior by Craig. The senator
denied the allegations and contended the paper was
engaged in a witch hunt. In a statement, the newspaper
said its story spoke for itself.
''While I was not
involved in any inappropriate conduct at the
Minneapolis airport or anywhere else, I chose to plead
guilty to a lesser charge in hopes of making it go
away,'' Craig said. ''It's clear, though, that through
my actions I have brought a cloud over Idaho. For that, I
ask the people of Idaho for their forgiveness.''
The Idaho
Republican Party took a measured, wait-and-see stance while
Democrats remained mum, content to let Republicans sort
through the fallout. The GOP's biggest names reminded
voters of Craig's tenure in the Senate and his
powerful seat on the Appropriations Committee.
''I would
encourage all Idahoans to avoid rushing to judgment and
making brash statements about a man who has dedicated
his life to public service,'' GOP state party chairman
Kirk Sullivan said in a statement.
Ignoring that
plea, some social and religious conservatives and
right-wing radio talk-show hosts called for Craig's
resignation. And political analysts said Craig will
have trouble convincing Gem State voters that his
27-year political career is worth sparing.
''I think what
makes it very difficult is the guilty plea,'' said Randy
Stapilus, a former political editor at the Idaho
Statesman who has a political blog. ''That is something
a lot of people will have a tough time getting
around.''
In Idaho, with
its 1.4 million people, politicians know many supporters
by name. The state also likes its Republicans. The GOP
controls the statehouse and Congress, and President
Bush carried the state in 2004 with 68% of the vote.
More than 166,000
residents are Roman Catholic, and more than 385,000 are
Mormon.
Republican
leaders in the Senate called for an Ethics Committee review
of the case.
''This is a
serious matter,'' they said in a written statement issued in
Washington over the names of Sen. Mitch McConnell of
Kentucky, the party leader, and several others.
Two Republicans
seeking the party's presidential nomination didn't mince
words. Mitt Romney, in whose campaign Craig was playing a
prominent role until he quit amid the scandal, told
CNBC, ''He's disappointed the American people.'' On
Jay Leno's The Tonight Show, Sen. John McCain
said, ''It's disgraceful.''
Reports state
that police sergeant Dave Karsnia was investigating
allegations of sexual conduct in Minneapolis airport
restrooms when he went into a stall. The complaint
against Craig alleged that he employed ''a signal
often used by persons communicating a desire to engage in
sexual conduct.''
Craig was
arrested, read his rights, fingerprinted, and photographed
for a mug shot released by police showing him in coat
and tie. He signed a guilty plea on August 1, later
paid $575 in fines and fees, and was placed on
unsupervised probation for a year. (Todd Dvorak, AP)
