Police: Craig was ‘agitated, demeaning’

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) “appeared agitated and demeaning” during a follow-up visit to the Minneapolis airport police operations center 11 days after his arrest for lewd conduct in June, according to the arrest report.

Craig was arrested June 11 by Sgt. Dave Karsnia of the airport police and later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, paying $575 in fines and accepting one year of probation. On June 22, Craig returned to the police operations center to inquire about the status of his case and spoke with Adam Snedker, another Minneapolis airport police officer.

{mosads}Craig told Snedker that “he was involved in an incident where he was, ‘drug down to this office’ where he was handcuffed, fingerprinted and interviewed,” the officer wrote in his report to the Hennepin County courts. Snedker reported directing the senator to Karsnia, adding that Craig left immediately after that conversation.

“To note, Craig appeared agitated and demeaning during my first contact with him even though I did my best to answer his questions,” Snedker wrote.

Karsnia submitted his own report on his June 22 conversation with Craig, stating, “contrary to what Craig stated to Officer Snedker, I did not handcuff Craig on the date of the offense even though he was under arrest.”

Craig released a statement of regret late Monday, defending his arrest as the product of a misunderstanding with police and denying any inappropriate conduct. “I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter,” Craig said.

His comments did little to stem the political fallout from his arrest, which rocketed around the Internet and resurrected long-dormant speculation that the Idahoan has engaged in homosexual behavior. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal-leaning watchdog group, filed an ethics complaint against Craig, and several conservative pundits called for the senator to resign.

Craig faces a reelection battle next year and a potentially strong challenger in former Democratic Rep. Larry LaRocco (Idaho), though he has yet to announce his intention to run for a fourth term. LaRocco is slated for an interview on Wednesday on the popular liberal blog Daily Kos.

According to the arrest report, Craig contended that a piece of paper on the floor in the airport bathroom caused him to wave his hand beneath the stall in the direction of the arresting officer. Karsnia said he recognized the behavior as a signal of those seeking an opportunity for lewd conduct.

“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,” Karsnia reported.

After a post-arrest interview on the afternoon of June 11, Craig flew back to Washington and attended votes that evening without a hint of abnormality. His first vote after the arrest, ironically, was against a resolution of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales — whose resignation came hours before Craig's guilty plea became public.

Craig is slated to appear at a news conference later Tuesday, according to media reports at press time.