McCain or Obama? AOL Elections 2008. Get all your up to the minute results.

News Video

News Video
Find, view and share videos about news and entertainment from around the Web.
See Videos »

Blog Chatter

What are tags?
List

Most Popular Stories

Most Commented On

Most Recent Comments

User-Submitted News

Top stories submitted and voted on from Propeller.

NEWS ALERTS

Get the latest updates sent straight to your inbox.

Sign up to receive AOL News alerts by e-mail.

Republicans Defend Action on Craig

By LARRY MARGASAK,
AP
Posted: 2007-09-03 10:18:43
Filed Under: Crime News, Politics News
WASHINGTON (Sept. 3) -- A GOP leader Sunday denied a double standard in pushing Sen. Larry Craig to resign after a sex sting guilty plea, while remaining silent over GOP Sen. David Vitter's involvement with an escort service.

A senior Democrat said a double standard by Republican leaders is exactly what occurred.

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., the Senate Republican campaign chairman, said Craig "admitted guilt. That is a big difference between being accused of something and actually admitting guilt."

"David Vitter never did that. Larry Craig did," continued Ensign on ABC's "This Week" program.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed a contrary view on "Fox News Sunday."

"One, I say there's a double standard," said Leahy. "Secondly, I don't think they'll ask him (Vitter) to resign because, of course, he'd be replaced by a Democrat. It's easier to ask Larry Craig to resign because he'd be replaced by a Republican."

Idaho has a Republican governor who will appoint a successor to Craig. Louisiana's governor is a Democrat.

Craig of Idaho pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a men's restroom and announced Saturday he will leave the Senate at the end of the month. He was caught in a sex sting at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport in June and, despite his guilty plea, now insists he did nothing wrong.

Vitter of Louisiana has not been charged with a crime although he acknowledged his Washington telephone number was among those called several years ago by an escort service.

Prosecutors say the escort service was a prostitution ring and have accused the woman who headed it of racketeering.

Craig's conduct was "embarrassing not only to himself and his family but to the United States Senate," said Ensign. Before Craig's announcement, Ensign had strongly suggested that he resign.

Another Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, said on "Fox News Sunday" that Craig should seek to vindicate himself.

"I'd like to see Larry Craig seek to withdraw the guilty plea, and fight the case," said Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I'd like to see him fight the case because I think he could be vindicated."

Regardless of any legal developments in Craig's case, Republicans clearly would frown on Craig changing his mind about quitting the Senate Sept. 30 -- and leaving the party with a festering corruption issue.

Ed Gillespie, President Bush's counselor and a former chairman of the Republican Party, acknowledged that ethical scandals have hurt the GOP. He predicted that by 2008, the party "will not have candidates who have any kind of ethical considerations that will be a concern to the voters."

Gillespie agreed with Ensign that Craig's guilty plea made his case different from that of Vitter.

"The fact is that Sen. Craig pled guilty to a crime, and therefore was convicted of a crime. Sen. Vitter has not been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. So there's a pretty big distinction here," Gillespie said on "Fox."

Despite Craig's decision to leave the Senate, Democratic Senate campaign chief Charles Schumer, of New York, sought to keep the corruption issue alive. He accused Republicans of failing to support ethics reform when they were in the majority.

"What the American people are looking for is not a blame game, but who is trying to clean it up," Schumer said on "This Week." "For six years, there was no ethics reform."

The New York senator defended Democratic actions in a new fundraising scandal. A party fundraiser, Norman Hsu, had been a fugitive since failing to appear for a 1992 sentencing.

Hsu, who had pleaded no contest in 1991 to grand theft, turned himself in Friday in California. He raised money for Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"We've already given money back," Schumer said. "Nobody knew he was a fugitive. When we found out something is wrong, we returned the money."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-08-27 19:12:38
Bookmark

Recent Comments

Post Your Own  
1 - 10 of 19325
19325 comments

jena6971 04:52:48 PM Jan 25 2009

Report This!

These old dirty men really think a woman would look at them ? May as well try for another hole...the slime !

njjerrynj 01:47:00 PM Sep 04 2007

Report This!

What about the Democrat William Jefferson who is still in the House even after
the Feds found $90000.00 in marked bills in his freezer. The people who testified
against him are now in Prison. Nancy Pelosi, even after all of the above, tried to
put him on very sensitive committees. Democrats ran on the "Republican circle
of corruption". Why has NO DEMOCRAT called for Jefferson to step down!!!!!!!!!!!
Pelosi tried to put Alcee Hastings in charge of an important committee even though
she voted to impeach him when he was a judge. She put Reyes in as Chairman
of the Intelligence Committee even though he didn't know the difference between
Sunni and Shiites in Iraq!!!!!!!!!!!! He probably can't even spell intelligence. However,
Pelosi will do anything to try and get the "BLACK and LATINO vote. The hell with
whats best for America. What a pig.

klausdmk 12:00:56 PM Sep 04 2007

Report This!

Let us not put this entirely on the Republicans. The news media coverage had quite a bit to do with it. Smear on the news headlines Craig like some kind of pervert in airport bathroom and what are you going to get? News media scandals on Republican every chance the get. But, when it comes to HSU and corrupt campaign money to Democrat Clinton and Obama, Schumer in a whisper we returned the money. Republicans should be "shell shocked" from all the news scandals. Republicans more corrupt than Democrats? No, but media coverage make it look that way.

russellt1016 12:04:36 AM Sep 04 2007

Report This!

just nasty glad u got caught

lavitanuova07 10:48:00 PM Sep 03 2007

Report This!

<<< And yes it was illegal and a more serious crime than the one Craig was arrested for.>>>
Agreed, but where was all the righteousness on the part of the left when Barney Frank had his boyfriend running a prostitution ring out of his apartment. Was that OK because he was a popular democrat? Frank was not only guilty...but incredibly arrogant about it as well! I'm not defending Craig...but I think there is a lot of blame to go around.

harry1667 10:47:30 PM Sep 03 2007

Report This!

Political parties should be outlawed period.

harry1667 10:47:30 PM Sep 03 2007

Report This!

Political parties should be outlawed period.

tomjefferson2005 10:34:03 PM Sep 03 2007

Report This!

The Republicans put themselves in a difficult situation on this matter because of their constant ranting over Clinton non-stop 24/7 for every day for over six years. When Craig; who pursued impeachment against Clinton; therefore pleaded guilty in the restroom episode; itwas highly embarassing to his "party of family values."

NanVanCamp 09:31:41 PM Sep 03 2007

Report This!

ALL OF THE BASTARD REPUKES SHOULD RESIGN/QUIT/BE SHUT OUT!!

thomaspy 08:02:00 PM Sep 03 2007

Report This!

The GOP all meets privately in the mens room at Reagan Airport.

1 - 10 of 19325
19325 comments

Add your own Comments

Clear
Add


1 of 0

Top News Photos

Spectators line up during practice for the British Open Golf Championship in Southport, England, Wednesday.
Jon Super, AP

Spectators line up during practice for the British Open Golf Championship in Southport, England, Wednesday.

Top Videos

News Bloggers