Senator quits over sex scandal
Larry Craig apologised for the damage the scandal had caused
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Saturday, 01, Sep 2007 08:41
A United States senator has resigned after facing calls to quit following his arrest in an alleged gay sex scandal.
Larry Craig said he was standing down as Idaho's Republican senior senator in a bid to clear his name.
The 62-year-old pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after he was arrested by a plainclothes policeman in a men's toilet at Minneapolis-St Paul airport earlier this summer.
Police had been targeting the toilets – not the senator – after reports of lewd behaviour.
Speaking from his family home in Idaho, Mr Craig apologised for the damage the scandal had done to his party and his state.
"I have little control over what people choose to believe, but clearing my name is important to me and my family," he said in Boise.
"Having said that, to pursue my legal options as I continue to serve Idaho would be an unwanted and unfair distraction from my job and for my Senate colleagues."
The three-term senator had received scant support from senior figures in his party, with Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell condemning his conduct as "unforgivable".