Petition to Enter Plea of Guilty Misd Register of Actions Complaint Arrest Report

BOISE - Wearing a casual shirt and holding his wife's hand, U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, confidently walked onto an outdoor Boise plaza and told a crowd of reporters Tuesday that he is not gay, and that his guilty plea after a June arrest outside a Minneapolis men's bathroom was a mistake brought on by "a witch hunt."

"I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport, and I regret the decision to plead guilty," he said.

Craig was arrested June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by a plainclothes police officer who was investigating sexual activity in a men's bathroom.

Craig said he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on Aug. 8 without benefit of legal counsel or telling his family, friends or staff. He said he has now retained an attorney "to review the matter and advise me on how to proceed."

What that unidentified attorney could do is unclear: Craig's guilty plea was accepted by a judge, he paid a fine and was sentenced to a year of probation.

Craig, who took no questions in his brief appearance, told reporters that in the eight months leading up to his June arrest, he and his family had been "relentlessly and viciously harassed by the Idaho Statesman."

Craig was referring to the newspaper's investigation of allegations that Craig, who steadfastly opposes legislation favored by gay activists, was himself involved in homosexual affairs. The newspaper printed the results of that inquiry only after the Minnesota arrest was reported by Roll Call, a Washington D.C. newspaper and Web site.

"I am not gay, I never have been gay," Craig said. "Still, without a shred of truth or evidence to the contrary, the Statesman has engaged in this witch hunt. In pleading guilty, I overreacted because of the stress of the Idaho Statesman investigation and the rumors it has fueled all around Idaho.

"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 the hopes of making it go away," he said.

Sounding as though he were on the verge of tears, Craig said that he should have told his family and friends about his arrest.

"I should not have kept this arrest to myself. I should have told my family and friends about it. I wasn't eager to share this failure but I should have anyway, because I am not gay."

While Republican leaders say they stand by Craig, the revelations do not sit well with others.

Bryan Fischer, executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance, said he was unconvinced by Craig's news conference and believes he should resign from office.

"I believe the senator owed us a very thorough and persuasive explanation of his decisions and I think he fell short," Fischer said. "I did not find his explanation convincing," Fischer said.

Fischer, whose organization supports issues such as religious liberty, pro-life stances and preservation of traditional marriage, said he no longer considers Craig to be in step with his group.

"I listened very carefully to the senator's explanation and I have to confess I don't find it persuasive or convincing, and it kind of leads me to believe that his guilty plea probably does represent an acknowledgement on his part that he was engaged in inappropriate behavior in Minneapolis. And I think it would be the appropriate and right thing for the Senator to step down."

But Fischer added that Craig's decision not to step down is "his decision to make. It's between him his family and his God and we will respect the decision the senator has made today."

Though Craig said he would wait until next month to announce whether he will seek reelection next year, he didn't sound ready to give up his job just yet.

"Over the years, I have accomplished a lot for Idaho, and I hope Idahoans will allow me to continue to do that," Craig said. "It is clear, though, that through my actions I have brought a cloud over Idaho and for that I seek and ask the people of Idaho to forgive me," he said.

As Craig and his wife left the press conference a citizen heckler yelled out to him, "What if you are gay? Come out of the closet. It's alright man. C'mon Larry, be gay. It's alright man."