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Craig admonished by ethics panel |
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By Ian Swanson
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Posted: 02/13/08 07:14 PM [ET] |
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The Senate Ethics Committee publicly admonished Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) late Wednesday for attempting to use his public office to get out of his arrest last summer in a Minneapolis airport restroom sting. The public letter of admonition signed by all six panel members also criticized Craig for attempting to withdraw his guilty plea. They said Craig seemed to be calculating that by pleading guilty, he would avoid public disclosure and adverse public reaction to his arrest. The panel said it had decided to resolve the matter through the public admonishment so that, “on behalf of the United States Senate, it may make known clearly that the conduct to which you pled guilty, together with the related and subsequent conduct discussed in this letter, is improper conduct which has reflected discreditably on the Senate." Craig reacted to the decision by stating that he would stay in office. “While I am disappointed and strongly disagree with the conclusions reached by the Senate Ethics Committee, from the outset I have encouraged the Committee to act in a timely fashion and they have done so,” Craig said in a statement. “I will continue to serve the people of Idaho.” |
