A Minneapolis police officer has accused Senator Larry Craig of lying in an interview after his arrest.
Posted on 08/30/2007 6:37:17 PM PDT by Stoat
Thursday, August 30th 2007, 7:57 PM
A Minneapolis police officer has accused Senator Larry Craig of lying in an interview after his arrest.
WASHINGTON - The officer who arrested Sen. Larry Craig in a police undercover operation at an airport men's room accused the senator of lying to him during an interrogation afterward, according to an audiotape of the arrest.
On the tape, released Thursday by the Minneapolis Airport Police, the Idaho Republican senator, in turn, accuses the officer of soliciting him for sex.
"I'm not gay. I don't do these kinds of things," Craig told Sgt. Dave Karsnia minutes after the two men met in a men's room at the airport on June 11.
"You shouldn't be out to entrap people," Craig told the officer. "I don't want you to take me to jail."
Karsnia replied that Craig wouldn't be going to jail as long as he cooperates.
At one point during the interrogation, the officer told Craig: "You're not being truthful with me. I'm kind of disappointed in you, senator."
Meanwhile, more of Craig's Republican colleagues moved away from him Thursday in the wake of his guilty plea earlier this month to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct in the undercover police operation aimed at sex solicitors.
Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, who chairs the GOP's senatorial campaign committee, stopped short of calling on Craig to resign, but suggested strongly that he should.
"I wouldn't put myself hopefully in that kind of position, but if I was in a position like that, that's what I would do," Ensign told The Associated Press in his home state. "He's going to have to answer that for himself."
Sens. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, each turned over to charity $2,500 campaign donations they had received from Craig's political action committee. Coleman and Collins both face potentially tough faces for re-election next year.
Coleman and several other Republicans - including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. - have called for Craig to resign his seat in the Senate. Craig already has agreed to a request by Republican leaders to give up his ranking status on the Veterans Affairs Committee and appropriations subcommittees.
Craig said Tuesday he had committed no wrongdoing and shouldn't have pleaded guilty. He said he had only recently retained a lawyer to advise him in the case, which threatens to write an ignominious end to a lifetime in public office.
GOP Senate leaders said they did not act lightly in asking Craig to give up his leadership posts temporarily. But they said their decision was "in the best interest of the Senate until this situation is resolved by the ethics committee."
On the tape, Craig and the arresting officer can be heard arguing over what happened in the men's room minutes earlier. Craig acknowledges that the men's feet bumped, but says nothing improper happened.
"Did we bump? Yes, I think we did. You said so. I don't disagree with that," Craig said.
But Craig disputes the officer's account that he swept his hand under the stall next to him in an apparent effort to advance the encounter. They even disagree whether Craig used his right hand or his left hand.
Craig said he was merely trying to pick up a piece of paper - an account the officer disputes.
"I'm telling you that I could see, so I know that's your left hand. Also I could see a gold ring on this finger, so that's obvious it was the left hand," Karsnia tells Craig.
"Well we can dispute that," Craig says. "I'm not going to fight you in court. I reached down with my right hand to pick up the paper."
Meanwhile, Idaho Republican Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter told CNN that Craig's loss of his committee leadership posts was "problematic," adding: "I'm sure Larry and his family are going to take those things into consideration as they go forward with their decisions."
Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said that "like most Idahoans, I was shocked by the allegations against Larry and by his guilty plea. However, I tend to judge people by the totality of their career and Senator Craig has been a dedicated public servant who has been an asset for Idaho for almost 30 years. At this time, I will not pass judgment on this matter."
My God you have a sick mind. I'm physically ill. Thanks.
Unfortunately, to a mind clouded by the liberal fog, the difference is that Republicans are such crooks that many have to resign, whereas Democrats are such angels that none of them ever have to.
He did not have an actual homosexual experience in Minneapolis. There is no proof he had homosexual relations in the past. Just rumors.
Assuming the second paragraph is true, it means both he and his family have much at stake. Leaving now would reinforce the conviction he has been a homosexual all these years. He caved hoping to avoid publicity. He now has the publicity. I see no other alternative for him.
Resignation might please a few, but cowardice will please no one.
Excuse me - but Senator Craig was not accused of committing a sex act. He was accused of foot tapping. He was accused of peeping in a bathroom stall. He was accused of moving his foot over far enough to touch the foot of the police officer (wonder how far over that officer’s foot was??? into Senator Craig’s stall????) He was accused of running his hand under the stall wall.
He was not accused of committing a lewd sex act.
He challenged the police officer.
He denied doing anything untoward.
Tom Delay said tonight he does not know all the facts so he is in no way going to judge Senator Craig until we do.
Finally a Republican who makes sense!!!!!
If they ran for office as gay caballeros, then of course they would. You gotta remember , Idahoans dont really go for their senators crawling around public restrooms looking for sex
He ought to resign
Thats why we need to take this opportunity to loudly and repeatedly say that this guy is acting like a democrat and should resign or join them. If repeated enough some will get the message.
It is really important that before everyone hangs this guy to understand the reality of police vice work. They cops know the drill and the signals and many of they put down in the police report those act which constitute the breaking of the statute even if untrue.
In this case if Craig is a cruiser in the bathrooms, he too knows the signals the acts which constitute the offense. He would know what cops do and how they play the game of “I won’t put you in jail, you can just plead to a misdemeanor IF you answer me as I want you too. Craig was very naive and said yes to the bump of the shoe(and believe me cops make the first move often) saying the cops foot was close to the edge of the stall, yet denied the hand gestures. Craig would have denied everything if he were street wise.
Cops often lie on the reports. Especially the vice cops.
I, as a defense attorney had a client who the cops said cofessed to all the elements of the crime. The report listed each of the acts necessary to constitute the crime saying that he admitted each of them. Problem was that when I investigated I found proof that the guy spoke not one word of English. We set the case for trial, I told the prosecuter he better have his cop speaking Vietnamese by the time of trial or the cop would be duly impeached. The cop did not show for trial and the case was dismissed.
Too often, one cannot impeach the cop and juries tend to believe cops so most cases are not as easy as the one above. But make no mistake America. The justice system broken.
Let’s don’t jump the gun on this one yet.
Agree, Craig has to resign.
Idaho’s a safe state, appoint a Senator now and let that new Senator run in 2008.
Then,Craig can try to withdraw his guilty plea.
One thing I can’t seem to find the answer to -— did those cops bust anyone else in this bathroom sting?
Accusing the suspect of lying is a standard interrogation technique. It is the police officer’s job to get to the bottom of the story and this is one of many strategies used to elicit the truth from criminal suspects. Others include: good cop bad cop, false promises of mercy, confrontation with incriminating evidence, etc.
Although Sen. Craig is probably guilty as sin (based on previous incidents), the headline was poorly chosen and is not necessarily a reflection of what the officer came to believe as a result of the interview.
More shoddy reporting from the AP.
“shamnesty turncoats?”
He is not a a “shamnesty turncoats?”.
He is a Shamnesty ORIGINATOR.
GOOD RIDDANCE TO HIM
My God you have a sick mind. I'm physically ill. Thanks.
If my very accurate comment has reminded you of the very grim reality of what homosexuality is, then I've provided a useful public service. Remember these emotions that you now feel the next time some homosexual activists knock at your door, soliciting funds for their cause du jour.
He’s guilty cause the cop said so and we all know cops are never wrong.
“If he had been a Dem”
He would have been smart enough to get a lawyer.
He’s gonna get what he deserves when on uses poor judgement.
You defense attorney? No wonder it is broken.
I am with you and astounded at this thread.
One cop, who did not ask anyone else to witness his interrogation of this man, has said this. I listened to the tape and think this man declared he had done nothing wrong.
You have to listen to the tape and read the material about how he was targeted. All supposition, nothing there.
And there are some things the cop said that dont make sense.
This man is being tried and convicted and sentenced on this thread in a reflex manner that is disturbing.
Anyone who is so stupid as to solicit sex in a public bathroom at an airport is too stupid to hold any office.
That's it. I'm not taking any chances. I'm throwing out my iPod.
What I would really prefer is a public announcement about the possibility of some gay person hitting on me in a public restroom. I guess that would be out of line after all we would’nt want to upset the gay community.
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