THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2007
NEWS
COURT
5A
Senator seeks to change plea
Craig stays in office, maintains innocence in men's room case
BY JOSHUA FREED ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge took Sen. Larry Craig's request to withdraw his guilty plea under adswissement on Wednesday, and the Idaho Republican
ne will stay in office for the time being, omitting mention of an earlier commitment to resign Sept. 30.
Hennepin County Judge Charles Porter said he probably won't rule until next month on Craig's request, which stems from his earlier guilty
plea in a men's room sex sting at the Minneapolis airport.
"The court has not issued a ruling on my motion to withdraw my guilty plea. For now, I will continue my work in the U.S. Senate for Idaho."
Craig didn't say just how long he planned to remain on the job.
Senate for Idaho."
Craig skipped the court hearing in Minnesota, a decision that his attorney, Billy Martin, described as routine for such a session.
During the hearing, Martin acknowledged the difficulty in getting the plea withdrawn, saying it
"Today was a major step in the legal effort to clear my name," Craig said in a statement. "The court has not issued a ruling on my motion to withdraw my guilty plea. For now, I will continue my work in the U.S."
LARRY CRAIG Idaho senator
is "near impossible, and it should be." But he said Craig's conduct was not criminal.
Prosecutor Christopher Renz said the timing of Craig's decision to withdraw his guilty plea was political. Craig was arrested in a
Minneapolis airport bathroom June 11, then entered his plea Aug. 8. Craig said he panicked in entering his plea.
"He sat and was able to think about it a thousand miles away at his apartment on the Potomac. He called me about it" and could have called others if he needed advice, Renz said.
Minnesota law allows guilty pleas to be withdrawn if a "manifest injustice" is shown. The term isn't defined in law, leaving it to judges to decide.
Craig was arrested by an airport police officer who said Craig had behaved as though he was looking for sex.
Craig came under intense pressure to resign after news of his arrest and guilty plea surfaced in late August, and he announced within days that he planned to resign by Sept. 30. He later suggested he might stay in office if he could overturn his plea.
His attorneys pursued a dual strategy, arguing both that Craig's conduct was not criminal and that the state didn't handle the plea properly.
Martin said Craig maintains he never intentionally touched airport police Sgt. Dave Karsnia, nor said anything to him.
"You should have either touching, or words, or a combination of the two." Martin said.
"I don't know," interjected Porter, and speculated that if he charged around the bench and ran yelling toward Martin, it would scare the attorney.
"It absolutely would," Martin said, to mild laughter.
Craig's attorneys also argued that the legal process wasn't properly followed, noting the plea petition didn't include a signature or any other indication a judge had accepted it. Porter directed more questions to Craig's attorneys, but his interruptions were mild and polite.
Pat Hogan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission and the prosecution team, said after the hearing that Craig knew what he was doing when he pleaded guilty and accepted culpability for his actions. He pointed out that Craig had more than eight weeks to consider his legal options from when he was arrested to when he entered his plea.
"The defendant unequivocally pleaded guilty to the crime of disorderly conduct," Hogan said.
Martin told reporters afterward that Craig committed no crime, but made a mistake in pleading guilty to one.
"Senator Larry Craig denies that he went into that restroom for anything other than to go to the restroom," he said.
Martin said that if the judge allows Craig to withdraw his plea, he will enter a not guilty plea and ask a jury to decide.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, leaves his residence at a Yacht Club in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. The first step in Craig's attempt to wipe away his guilty plea in an airport sexing had nothing to do with whether an undercover politician misunderstood Craig's actions in a bathroom stall. Instead, Wednesday's hearing was all about whether Craig's attorneys could convince the case's judge that the Idaho senator's wife was a mistake.
WAR EFFORT
Congress considers request to raise war funding Defense secretary asks for $190 billion to further protect troops in Iraq, Afghanistan
BY ANNE FLAHERTY ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked Congress Wednesday to approve nearly $190 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, increasing initial projections by more than a third.
The spending request guaranteed another showdown between the Bush administration and congressional Democrats, including Sen. Robert Byrd, who declared the Appropriations Committee he chairs would not "rubber stamp" the request.
Testifying before the panel, Gates said the extra money was necessary to buy vehicles that can protect troops against roadside bombs, refurbish equipment worn down by combat and consolidate U.S. bases in Iraq. A copy of the remarks was obtained in advance by The Associated Press.
In February, President Bush requested $141.7 billion for the wars; officials said at the time the figure was only a rough estimate and could climb. In July, the Defense Department asked Congress for another $5.3 billion to buy 1,500 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
A group of anti-war protesters in the hearing room cheered at several points during Byrd's speech, including when the West Virginia Democrat asked Gates whether America was more secure "as a result of this massive, astronomical investment."
"Considering this, I would like to close with a word about something I know we can all agree on — the honor, courage and great sense of duty we have witnessed in our troops," he added.
"I know that Iraq and other difficult choices America faces in the war on terror will continue to be a source of friction within the Congress, between the Congress and the president and in the wider public debate," Gates said in prepared testimony.
terproductive restrictions," Gates will tell the Senate, according to his testimony. Doing so, he added, helps the Pentagon to better manage its resources and avoid shifting money around, which often requires additional cash.
Gates said Wednesday another $42 billion is needed to cover additional unforeseen requirements. The extra money includes:
"I believe the answer is crystal clear. We are not!" Byrd said.
- $9 billion to reconstitute equipment and technology;
Wednesday's request of $42 billion takes into account Bush's decision to bring home five Army brigades by next summer, Gates said.
— $11 billion to field another
7,000 MRAP vehicles in addition to
the 8,000 already planned;
Iraqi security forces.
To date, Congress has appropriated about $450 billion for the war in Iraq, and $127 billion for Afghanistan.
$1 billion to improve U.S. facilities in the region and consolidate bases in Iraq; and
- $6 billion for training and equipment of troops;
- $1 billion to train and equip
The $190 billion total would cover war costs for the 2008 budget year, which begins Monday. Congress was on track this week to pass a stopgap spending bill that
would keep the war afloat for several more weeks, giving Democrats time to figure out their next step on the war.
Democrats say they plan to use the spending request as leverage
Congress should approve the request as quickly as possible "and without excessive and coun-
to bring troops home, although they lack a veto-proof majority to do so.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, center, accompanied by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, left, and outgoing Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace, right, take part in a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday on Capitol Hill in Washington to discuss the presidential supplemental budget request for the Iraq and Afghanistan war efforts.
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