Former Idaho GOP Senator Larry Craig
refused to answer gay-related question during his radio debut, the
Idaho Statesman
reported.
Craig answered questions from callers
as he made his co-hosting debut on KBOI-670 Monday.
His 28-year Congressional career – 18
in the Senate (1991 – 2009), preceded by ten years in the House –
came to a screeching end after his 2007 arrest for lewd conduct in a
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport men's restroom came to
light.
The 65-year-old Craig pled guilty to a
charge of disorderly conduct on August 8, 2007, nearly two months
after his arrest.
The Washington-based paper Roll Call
reported on the arrest nearly three weeks later.
Rumors of Craig's sexuality had
circulated on Capitol Hill for years. At his website,
BlogActive.com,
outing blogger Mike Rogers had accused him of sexual encounters
with men in a Washington D.C. public restroom long before his
infamous arrest and labeled him a hypocrite for voting against gay
rights legislation. Craig has denied he's gay.
Despite an initial announcement that he
would resign his post, Craig served out the remainder of his 4-year
term, arguing that he wanted to “clear my name in the Senate Ethics
Committee, something that is not possible if I am not serving in the
Senate.” He did not seek re-election in 2008.
During the 3-hour guest-hosting
appearance, Craig instead talked about the Republicans' chances of
taking over Congress.
Craig said it's “very possible”
that the GOP will win the House in November, but added that the odds
of a Senate takeover are more likely even.