“Senator Wide Stance” Loses Bid to Withdraw Guilty Plea

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig argued there was insufficient evidence in sex solicitation charge

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig lost his latest attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in a Minneapolis airport men’s room sex sting.

A three-judge panel of the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected the Republican’s bid to toss out his disorderly conduct conviction.

Craig was arrested in June 2007 in a Minneapolis airport bathroom stall by an undercover officer who said the senator solicited sex by using a series of hand and foot gestures. Craig had claimed that he had accidentally kicked to officer's foot because he has a "wide stance" when using the toilet.

He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor and paid a fine, but changed his mind when he realized he had committed career suicide by implicitly confessing to soliciting anonymous gay sex in a public bathroom. Craig insisted he was innocent, but the case effectively ended his political career.

Craig’s attorney argued before the appeals court this September that there was insufficient evidence for any judge to find him guilty. Prosecutors said his guilty plea should stand.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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