Craig's lawyer says client shouldn't resign over charges akin to a 'traffic offense'
Comparing Sen. Larry Craig's arrested in a public restroom sex sting to a "traffic offense," the Idaho Republican's lawyer says his client should stay in the Senate and fight ethics charges against him.
"It seems to me that we ought to seek to have the committee dismiss this outright, given the fact that this arises not from his official duties but from his private conduct," Craig's attorney, Stan Brand, said on the Today Show Wednesday, noting that the Senate previously sought to expel only members involved in treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
"If the Senate of the United States is going to begin taking up every traffic offense and petty offense committed by senators in their private capacity ... I think the Senate needs to go full time session to deal with those alone," he said.
The Ethics Committee has disciplined Senators for sexual misconduct in the past. In 1995, it moved to expel then-Sen. Bob Packwood after allegations he had sexually harassed Capitol Hill staffers and other subordinates, and Craig endorsed the action at the time. (Packwood resigned before he was formally booted from the Senate.)
When reports emerged earlier this month that Craig was arrested in a Minneapolis airport men's room in June after allegedly soliciting an undercover police officer, Republicans moved quickly to distance themselves from Craig and sought to end his career in public office. Even President Bush called Craig to say the three-term Senator made the right decision in announcing his intention to resign, NBC White House correspondent David Gregory reported.
"Certainly a lot of Republicans in this town (are) waking up with a groan, thinking this was behind them," Gregory said of the reaction to Craig's decision to reconsider his resignation. "Republicans acted very quickly to essentially throw Larry Craig under the bus."
Craig pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, but he is in the process of trying to reverse that plea, with the help of high-profile Washington lawyer Billy Martin. The senator's aides say his resignation decision will be based on the result of that effort.
The decision to stay and fight was perhaps bolstered by support from one of Craig's GOP colleagues. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) said over the weekend that Craig would not have been convicted of any crime in the sex sting if he had initially decided to fight the charges.
Brand is representing Craig in his dealings with the Senate Ethics Committee, where Republican leaders have called for an investigation.
"The Republicans, basically in an unprecedented fashion, prejudged this case before anybody knew anything," Brand said.
The following video is from NBC's Today Show, broadcast on September 5.
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