Craig decides to keep Senate seat

His decision irks GOP peers and will mean scrutiny from the Ethics Committee

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Larry Craig said Thursday that he had no intention of leaving the Senate until the end of his term, despite a setback in his effort to clear his name of a sex-related guilty plea.

Craig now will face the full glare of a Senate Ethics Committee investigation and the ire of Republican Senate leaders, who say they feel as though he has gone back on his promise to step down after news broke of his arrest on charges that he solicited sex from an undercover police officer in the men's room of the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.

"He gave us his word that he would resign," said Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who is in charge of the GOP's 2008 Senate election fundraising. "I'm calling on Senator Craig to keep his word. If he loves his party, and he loves the Senate, the honorable thing to do is to resign."

Craig said in a statement that he was disappointed in Thursday's court ruling upholding his guilty plea. But he maintained his innocence and said he'll remain in the Senate until he finishes his term in January 2009.

Craig said he intends to keep fighting to clear his name in the courts, and he added that he wants to use the Senate Ethics Committee as a forum to clear his name -- something he can't do if he leaves the Senate.

"I will continue to serve Idaho in the United States Senate, and there are several reasons for that," Craig said in his statement. "As I continued to work for Idaho over the past three weeks here in the Senate, I have seen that it is possible for me to work here effectively."

On Thursday, a Minnesota judge turned down Craig's effort to withdraw his Aug. 1 guilty plea, saying that Craig's claim that he didn't know what he was doing when he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct was "illogical."

Craig's legal team, led by high-profile Washington-based criminal attorney Billy Martin, had no comment Thursday. Last week, Martin said Craig has "the right to pursue any and all legal remedies available as he continues the process of trying to clear his good name."

Some of Craig's colleagues, such as fellow Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, have urged him to fight the case in court.

"Senator Craig has the right to pursue his legal options as does any citizen, and I support his effort," Crapo said. "I look forward to serving with him as we continue to work on issues important to Idaho."

But Craig's decision to stay in the Senate means an Ethics Committee investigation. It's unclear what the next move will be for the six-member committee, made up of three Republicans and three Democrats. At least four members must vote to pursue an investigation.

Previously, the committee indicated that it had jurisdiction -- and the intent -- to pursue an inquiry. In a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who asked for the ethics investigation, the committee's chairwoman and vice chairman said they have the authority to look into "allegations of improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate."

The letter, signed by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif, and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, goes on to say that typically the committee stops investigating members when they leave the Senate, but "pending Senator Craig's resignation, the committee will continue to review this matter."

McConnell had no comment Thursday, and a spokesman referred reporters to the Kentucky senator's previous statement on Craig. In early September, McConnell said he thought Craig made the right move by announcing his decision to step down on Sept. 30.

Another 16 months of attention on Craig's legal and ethical problems won't be welcome to most Senate Republicans as they try to raise money for their 2008 re-election efforts.