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The Larry Craig scandal was an incident that began on June 11, 2007, with the arrest of Larry Craig—who at the time was a Republican United States Senator from Idaho—for lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Craig later entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct on August 8. As a result of the controversy surrounding his arrest, subsequent guilty plea, and pressure from his fellow Republicans, Craig announced his intention to resign from the Senate at a news conference on September 1, which was to become effective on September 30. After Craig's efforts to withdraw his guilty plea failed, on October 4, he released a statement refusing to resign from the Senate. Craig did not run for re-election in 2008 and the incident effectively ended his political career. ==Arrest== On June 11, 2007, Craig was arrested at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport on suspicion of lewd conduct.〔 The nature of the alleged activity has been categorized by some as cottaging.〔Hitchens, C. (September 1, 2007). (So many men's rooms, so little time: Why men like Larry Craig continue to court danger in public places. ) ''Slate Magazine''. Retrieved on September 1, 2007.〕 According to the police report, the police officer sat in a bathroom stall as part of an undercover operation investigating complaints of sexual activity in the restroom. After about 13 minutes of sitting in the stall, the police officer observed Craig lingering outside and frequently peeking through the crack of the door on the stall. Craig then entered the stall to the left of the officer's stall. The police officer made the following observations, which he recorded in his report of the incident, as to what happened next:
According to the incident report and criminal complaint filed in court,〔(Offense/incident/arrest report, OCA number 07002008: Larry Edwin Craig. ) (June 11, 2007). Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Police Department. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.〕〔Complaint in (''Minnesota v. Craig'' ), Case No. 07043231 (D.C. Minn., Jul. 2007), page 2. The Smoking Gun. Retrieved on August 29, 2007.〕 the officer showed Craig his police identification beneath the partition separating their stalls, and the officer then pointed his finger towards the restroom exit. Craig initially said no, but he ultimately complied with the officer's request to leave the restroom. After Craig and the officer left the restroom, Craig was reluctant to go with the officer and demanded the officer show his police identification a second time. Once the officer complied with the request, Craig, the arresting officer, and a police detective, who was stationed outside of the restroom, went to the airport police station.〔 After the arresting officer read Craig his Miranda rights, the officer interviewed Craig about the restroom incident. At one point, Craig handed his business card to the arresting officer, which identified him as a U.S. Senator, and said to him, "What do you think about that?"〔 Craig told the officer that he was worried about missing his flight, and the arresting officer asked the police detective to call the airline to hold the flight. The detective reported that no one answered the telephone for the airline, and the arresting officer proceeded with the interview. According to the arrest report prepared by Sgt. Dave Karsnia, "Craig stated ... He has a wide stance when going to the bathroom and that his foot may have touched mine."〔 Craig never used the term "wide stance" himself. According to the transcript of the police interrogation, Sgt. Karsnia asked: "Did you do anything with your feet?" and Craig replied: "Positioned them, I don't know. I don’t know at the time. I'm a fairly wide guy."〔 When the officer asked Craig about the use of his hands, Craig said that he reached down with his right hand to pick up a piece of paper that was on the floor. The officer disputed Craig's version by saying, "there was not a piece of paper on the bathroom floor, nor did Craig pick up a piece of paper." Craig also disputed the officer's assertion about the position of his hand, claiming that his right palm was faced down as he picked up the paper from the floor. The officer disputed Craig's version, alleging that Craig used his left hand because his thumb, "was positioned in a faceward motion." During the interview and in the incident report, the officer commented that Craig either disagreed with what happened in the restroom or could not recall the events as they happened.〔 Craig returned to the airport on June 22 to complain about how he had been treated by the police. According to the police report about Craig's return, Craig said he wanted information for his lawyer.〔(Craig insists "I am not gay," police say he sought information for lawyer." ) (August 28, 2007). ''The Idaho Statesman''. Retrieved on August 28, 2007.〕 Craig pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct by signing and mailing a plea petition, dated August 1, 2007, to the Hennepin County District Court in Minnesota.〔(''Minnesota v. Craig'', Case No. 07043231. Petition to enter plea of guilty-misdemeanor (D.C. Minn., August 8, 2007). ) The Smoking Gun. Retrieved on August 29, 2007. According to the criminal complaint, Craig was charged originally with offenses under the Minnesota State Statute section (609.746 ), subd.1(c) (interference with privacy, a gross misdemeanor) and (section 609.72 ), subd.1(3) (disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor). Complaint in (''Minnesota v. Craig'' ), Case No. 07043231 (D.C. Minn., July 2007), page 2. The Smoking Gun. Retrieved on August 29, 2007.〕 He paid $575, including fines and fees. Senator Craig signed the petition to enter his guilty plea, which contained the provisions, "I understand that the court will not accept a plea of guilty from anyone who claims to be innocent... I now make no claim that I am innocent of the charge to which I am entering a plea of guilty." Craig mailed his signed petition to the court, and his petition to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge was accepted and filed by the court on August 8, 2007.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Larry Craig scandal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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