Larry Craig Considers Anti-Bathroom Sting Legislation

Posted by Pam Spaulding at 6:34 AM on October 17, 2007.

This post, written by Pam Spaulding, originally appeared on Pam's House Blend

The nightmare continues for the GOP. Toe-tapping Larry invited Idaho newsman Mark Johnson of KTVB into his home and sat for a 90-minute interview that aired Tuesday. Craig's wife Suzanne dutifully sat by his side as he told his side of the story about the encounter in the Minneapolis airport bathroom that made him a household name for all the wrong reasons. he transcript is up.

I'll give you the money quote from the interview first:

Mark Johnson: We gave folks an opportunity on our website to ask questions - and boy did they submit the questions. Many of them you've answered here tonight. Mark from Boise... not this Mark from Boise - had one that I think you might find interesting. Mark writes "You are accused of a sex crime without physically committing one. Would you support legislation that protects citizens from police entrapment in restrooms and other public places.

Sen. Larry Craig: Mark, I'd have to take a very serious look at that. I've not only heard from Mark - I've heard from a lot of citizens and e-mailers. They've felt they got entrapped, they felt they got profiled. The worst thing in a free society is to have law enforcement profiling people because they look a certain way, therefore they must be. That is just wrong. I've always opposed it - and I'll continue to oppose it. If legislation like that comes along, I'll take a very serious look at it. I'm innocent, I've been through it. It's not a very pleasant experience. It's changed my life, it's changed my family's life, it may have changed the political life in Idaho, I don't know. But, it is the question - a very important one.

So, if someone proposes such legislation to protect citizens from profiling -- doesn't sound like he's ready to take up activist arms and do it himself -- how many of Larry's GOP colleagues do you think are going to co-sign it? A bill that protects busts of people for "looking a certain way" (guess this time he couldn't squeak out "gay") when caught up in a public restroom sex sting? These stings focus almost exclusively on gay men cruising in these public facilities -- an issue right there that probably has Republicans squirming.

Oh my, the gift that keeps on giving... :)

The interview is full of a lot of fluff, but he does recount what he says really happened in the restroom (which differs from or leaves out details in the police report, or even the police interrogation after the arrest [audio | transcript]).

I go to bathrooms to go to bathrooms. I walked in that morning into a sting, that I had no idea I was walking into. I suspect every American, or anyone who wanted to listen or try at all has heard the tape of the interrogation. They know a great deal of the detail that has been told by others. Yes, I walked by the stalls. I looked to see if they were empty, most of them were full, or apparently all of them were full as I recall. I stood back, I waited, I kept looking - finally, one opened up. I walked in, I put my suit case down - I sat down on a bathroom stool.

I did not realize that to look into a stall, set a suitcase in front of you was a gay action, or at least according to this law enforcement officer. He was watching out through a door profiling me. "Oh my goodness he did this, oh my goodness he did that." At least that's my reaction to what I finally experienced. Something caught my eye. I glanced down. Whether it was foot movement close to my stall, I was spreading my legs, and uh I saw paper - it looked like it was stuck to the heel of my shoe.

...Well, I reached down, I pulled it off. My hand went below the divider. Within seconds there was a card under the divider that said "police," and the motion of the finger to the door. And I said "no!" - then the motion again. I stood up, stepped out and was physically jerked out of the bathroom in to a lobby area. And I said "what's going on here, what are you doing?" "You're under arrest." I said "I've got a plane to catch, what are you doing?" At about that time, and I was attempting to pull away - about that time another officer came up, grabbed me by the other arm and said "if you don't behave, we're going to arrest you and throw you in jail." I've never been arrested in my life.

Craig doesn't explain why, for instance, if Sgt. Dave Karsnia was in the stall to his right, and Craig alleges that he was picking up a piece of toilet paper on the floor next to his right foot, Karsnia saw Craig's left hand waving and gesturing at him under the stall. The gymnastics of this, considering Craig said he had his pants down and his legs in a wide stance, is impressive.

He was called on it in the police interrogation.

From the interrogation about the June 11 incident at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport:

Dave Karsnia: I saw your left hand and I could see the gold wedding ring when it when it went across. I could see that. On your left hand, I could see that.

LC: Wait a moment, my left hand was over here.

DK: I saw there's a...

LC: My right hand was next to you.

DK: I could tell it with my ah, I could tell it was your left hand because your thumb was positioned in a faceward motion. Your thumb was on this side, not on this side.

LC: Well, we can dispute that. I'm not going to fight you in court and I, I reached down with my right hand to pick up the paper.

DK: But I'm telling you that I could see that so I know that's your left hand. Also I could see a gold ring on this finger, so that's obvious it was the left hand.

LC: Yeah, okay. My left hand was in the direct opposite of the stall from you.

Karsnia also noted in the police report:

Craig provided by his Idaho driver's license. In a recorded post-Miranda interview, Craig stated the following:

- He is a commuter

- He went into the bathroom

- He was standing outside of the stalls for 1-2 minutes waiting for the stall.

- He has a wide stance when going to the bathroom and that his foot may have touched mine

- He reached down with his right hand to pick up a piece of paper that was on the floor

- He is unable to take his gold wedding ring off of his left ring finger

It should be noted that there was not a piece of paper on the bathroom floor, nor did Craig pick up a piece of paper. During the interview, Craig either disagreed with more or "didn't recall" the events as they happened.

Tagged as: republican hypocrisy, gay republicans, homophobia, craig

Pam Spaulding blogs at Pam's House Blend.