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Craig Says He'll Stay In Office While Judge Reconsiders Plea

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The Associated Press

Published: September 27, 2007

Updated: 09/27/2007 12:35 am

WASHINGTON - Sen. Larry Craig said Wednesday he will remain in office while a Minnesota judge considers his bid to withdraw a guilty plea, overturning the senator's previous statements of intent to resign by Sunday.

The Idaho Republican said he will stay in office 'for now,' but people close to him said he will remain until the judge rules.

Hennepin County Judge Charles Porter said he probably won't decide the matter until next month.

Craig, who originally had planned to seek a fourth term next year, pleaded guilty in August to disorderly conduct following a June 11 sting operation in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport.

Craig did not attend Wednesday's hearing in Minneapolis before Porter.

His attorney, Billy Martin of Washington, acknowledged the difficulty of getting the guilty plea withdrawn, saying it is 'near impossible, and it should be.'

Still, Martin's team pursued a dual strategy, arguing that Craig's conduct was not criminal and that the state didn't handle the plea properly. They said the plea petition had no signature or other indication a judge had accepted it.

Craig has said he panicked and foolishly pleaded guilty without consulting a lawyer.Minnesota law allows guilty pleas to be withdrawn if a 'manifest injustice' is shown. The term is not defined in law, leaving it to judges to decide.

Craig's decision to temporarily extend his stay in office complicates the issue of naming a possible replacement.

Idaho Gov. C.L. 'Butch' Otter this week canceled an extended tour of the state's overcrowded prisons to interview nearly 30 people, including Lt. Gov. Jim Risch and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden.

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