Tuesday: Craig's arrest one of many in restroom

Complaints about sexual activity in public restrooms at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport led to "numerous arrests" that included that of Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, on June 11, according to Airport Police documents released Tuesday.

At a news conference Tuesday in Boise, Idaho, Craig, a three-term Republican, said: "I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport."

He went on to say that the only thing he had done wrong was to plead guilty to disorderly conduct and that he has hired a lawyer and will ask him to review the case.

However, a public defender said it would be difficult to reverse the plea. Leonardo Castro, chief public defender in the Hennepin County attorney's office, said that someone who pleads guilty to a misdemeanor would typically have to prove their due process rights were violated or they were coerced into their plea for a court to agree to withdraw it.

"It's a fairly high standard," Castro said.

At a news conference with his wife, Suzanne, at his side, Craig said, "I am not gay. I never have been gay."

The Idaho Republican's defiant stance came as Senate Republican leaders in Washington called for an ethics committee review into his involvement in the police sting.

In the report of Craig's arrest released Tuesday, Sgt. David Karsnia wrote, "The Airport Police Department had received civilian complaints and has made numerous arrests regarding sexual activity in the public restroom."

No information about the other arrests was released.

Kathleen Bangs, the Metropolitan Airports Commission's information officer, said on Tuesday that she wasn't aware that the police were involved in an undercover operation in the bathrooms.

"We don't have a lot of comment because this is a police issue," she said.

Craig's spokesman said the senator was on his way to Idaho from Washington when he was arrested in June. It's a trip he takes through the Minneapolis airport most Fridays when Congress is in session, the spokesman said.

The police report said Karsnia entered a stall in the main men's public restroom of the North Star Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal, wearing plain clothes.

Karsnia said Craig stood outside his stall, looking through the crack between the door and its frame. "I could see Craig's blue eyes as he looked into my stall." Craig entered the stall next to his and placed his bag against the front of his stall door, a common tactic for concealing sexual conduct, Karsnia said.

Karsnia said Craig tapped his right foot. "I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct." Craig eventually touched Karsnia's foot and swiped his hand under the stall divider.

When Karsnia showed Craig his badge under the stall and pointed toward the exit, Craig exclaimed, No!

Karsnia said when he asked for identification, Craig handed him a business card that identified him as a U.S. senator and stated, "What do you think about that?" according to the police report.

In published reports, Craig said he should not have pleaded guilty so quickly. "I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter."

But according to a police report, Craig returned to the Airport Police office June 22 and asked for a contact for his lawyer. The report said Craig said that it had been over a week since anyone had contacted him regarding his case. "Craig told me that he needs a contact so his lawyer can speak to someone," the report said

In a telephone conversation, Karsnia told Craig he spoke to the city attorney on June 21 and that "my next group of criminal complaints would be completed next week and that his case should be included in that group," the report said. Craig demanded the information for the law firm, which Karsnia supplied.

Craig signed his guilty plea petition Aug. 1, but it wasn't filed in Hennepin County District Court until Aug. 8. The plea wasn't entered in person, the petition noted. In the form Craig submitted, he stated he was not represented by an attorney.

He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. The gross misdemeanor of interference with privacy was dismissed by Judge Gary Larson. Because the case remains open, Larson's clerk said he couldn't comment. Christopher Renz, the prosecuting attorney, declined to comment.

The petition said that Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in the restroom of the North Star Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal. It also said he admitted to engaging in conduct which he knew should have known tended to arouse alarm or resentment of others.

The petition said Craig understood that the court will not accept a plea of guilty from anyone who claims to be innocent and that "I now make no claim that I am innocent of the charge to which I am entering a plea of guilty."

A jail sentence of 10 days in the county workhouse and a $1,000 fine was stayed if Craig doesn't commit any same or similar offenses for one year. He did have to pay a fine of $575.

Craig, 62, is up for reelection next year. He said he would announce his plans next month.

"Over the years, I have accomplished a lot for Idaho, and I hope Idahoans will allow me to continue to do that," he said.

On Monday, he resigned from a prominent role with Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, and the GOP White House hopeful was critical in an interview Tuesday.

"He's disappointed the American people," Romney said on CNBC's "Kudlow & Company."

This report includes information from wire services. dchanen@startribune.com • 612-673-4465 tford@startribune.com • 612-673-4921