Judge rejects Craig’s bid to withdraw guilty plea

A Minnesota judge on Thursday denied Sen. Larry Craig’s (R) bid to withdraw his guilty plea in the bathroom sex sting that upended his political career, adding new resignation pressure to the embattled Idahoan as he clings to office.

{mosads}Judge Charles Porter of Minnesota’s Hennepin County court released a 27-page order calling Craig’s August guilty plea “accurate, voluntary, and intelligent,” adding that “the conviction is supported by the evidence.”

Craig may pursue an appeal, allowing him to stay in office while he seeks every available option to clear his name, but the ruling is likely to bring more calls for his departure from frustrated GOP leaders who had pressed him to step aside last week as originally planned.