Idaho Senator Larry Craig will end his
silence and appeal to the court of public opinion in an exclusive
“Matt Lauer Reports” primetime special on Tuesday, October 16 and
on “Today” Wednesday, October 17th, an NBC press report said.
Craig is expected to discuss his August
arrest in a Minneapolis men's room for lewd behavior, his failed
attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in the case, and his recent
retraction of his resignation from the Senate. It is also widely
assumed Craig will once again deny being gay.
The network said Lauer will also
interview the Senator's wife, Suzanne Craig, who will be speaking
publicly for the first time about her husband's troubles.
Craig, 62, pleaded guilty to a reduced
charge of disorderly conduct after being arrested during a
Minneapolis sex sting targeting public sex in an airport men's room.
The undercover officer making the arrest said he believed Craig was
seeking a sexual encounter. After reports exposed his guilty plea
Craig announced his intention to resign from the Senate, but quickly
changed course stating that his resignation was on condition of
failure to withdraw his guilty plea.
Senate Republican colleagues have
applied pressure on Craig to resign since the scandal broke,
threatening him with a Senate Ethics Committee investigation.
Despite failing to withdrawal his
guilty plea, Craig has vowed to serve out his term, proclaiming his
innocence. Craig also said he will remain to “clear my name in the
Senate Ethics Committee – something that is not possible if I am
not serving in the Senate.”