Sen. Larry Craig is filing his papers in Minnesota today to withdraw his guilty plea for alleged disorderly conduct in an airport men’s room.
His attorney Billy Martin said “As he went into that stall, there was no intent to commit a crime,’’ Martin told Matt Lauer on NBC’s “Today” show. “He was charged with a crime and pleaded guilty, Matt, as convenience to make this go away quickly.’’
“Sen. Craig admits to going to the bathroom. He admits to moving his foot. He admits to reaching his hand down. That’s all,’’ Martin said. “That is not a crime.”
“So, what we are alleging is that it is not intelligent and knowingly to enter a plea to conduct that does not itself constitute a crime,” Martin added.
Craig signed a guilty plea to the misdemeanor charge on Aug. 1 and has since said he intends to resign Sept. 30, though he’s holding out the possibility of staying on if he can reverse his guilty plea.
But Martin said on the “Today” show that his client “has not put any of those deadlines, or timetables on me.”
