Outrage

All right.

The date is 6/11/07 at 12:28 hours.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

Do you understand each of these rights as I explained them to you?

- I do. - Do you wish to talk to us at this time?

I do.

So let's start from the beginning. You went in the bathroom.

I went in the bathroom. I got in a stall, sat down.

Your foot came towards mine, mine came towards yours.

Was that natural? I don't know.

Did we bump? Yes, I think we did.

The next thing I knew,

under the bathroom divider

comes a card that says "Police."

- What about your hand? - What about my hand?

I could see the gold wedding ring. I could see that.

Have you been successful in these bathrooms here before?

No, absolutely not.

I don't seek activity in bathrooms.

You're not being truthful to me. I'm kind of disappointed

in you, Senator. I'm real disappointed right now.

Sir, we deal with people that lie to us every day.

- Gentlemen, so do I. - I'm sure you do.

I've never had to bring anybody to jail

because everybody's been truthful to me.

I don't want you to take me to jail.

I'm not gonna take you to jail

as long as you're being cooperative. People vote for you.

I'm a respectable person and I don't do these kinds of--

Where's your respect right now though?

I-I-- I am not gay. I don't do these kinds of things.

- I saw-- - I don't do those things.

AT ITS FUNDAMENTAL CORE, AT ITS BASE,

IT IS SO PROFOUNDLY UNHEALTHY.

BECAUSE IT GOES BACK TO THAT SIMPLE MANIFESTATION,

THAT SIMPLE

"UNTO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE."

YOU HAVE TO BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.

AND THEN, GOD WILLING, TRUE TO YOUR LOVED ONES,

TO YOUR COMMUNITY, TO YOUR PUBLIC.

...turning out at Washington, DC, where the report

of the arrest of Senator Larry Craig

is generating a massive media frenzy.

Breaking tonight, a Republican senator busted by police.

Craig's arrest was first reported about 24 hours or so ago.

A day later "The Idaho Statesman"

published the story it had been holding.

Republican Senator Larry Craig from Idaho

again will be having a news conference in 45 minutes.

Thank you all very much for coming out today.

First, please let me apologize

to my family, friends and staff

and fellow Idahoans for the cloud placed over Idaho.

Senator, what happened in Minneapolis?

Hey, what if you are gay?

Come out of the closet.

It's all right, man. Come on, Larry. Be gay!

I THINK IT'S VERY SAD.

THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO HAS LIVED IN THE CLOSET HIS WHOLE LIFE,

HAS PROBABLY CHEATED ON HIS WIFE ANY NUMBER OF TIMES.

IT'S A TWISTED KIND OF

PSYCHOLOGICAL THING THAT HAPPENS.

WHEN YOU'RE IN THE CLOSET AND LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE,

IT MAKES YOU DO CRAZY THINGS.

AND FOR A UNITED STATES SENATOR

TO BE SOLICITING SEX IN A PUBLIC RESTROOM

IS A CRAZY THING.

TO UNDERSTAND HIS STORY AND ALL OF THESE STORIES,

YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE CULTURE WAS.

IN 1955, MY NEWSPAPER REPORTED

ON A GAY SEX SCANDAL

INVOLVING ALLEGEDLY UNDERAGE MEN

AND POWERFUL PEOPLE IN BOISE.

AMONG THE HEADLINES ON OUR EDITORIAL PAGE

WAS ONE THAT READ "CRUSH THE MONSTER,"

THE MONSTER BEING HOMOSEXUAL PERVERSITY.

THAT WAS 1955. LARRY CRAIG WAS 10 YEARS OLD.

AND I IMAGINE HIM THINKING THAT

THAT WAS AN ABJECT LESSON THAT HE NEEDED TO HEED,

THAT HE COULDN'T ASPIRE TO BE A UNITED STATES SENATOR

AND BE GAY AT THE SAME TIME.

EVERY TIME HE WAS UP FOR ELECTION,

THE QUESTION WAS RAISED--

WILL SOMEONE RAISE THE ISSUE?

Good evening. The Capitol Hill investigation

of sex and drugs which had existed mainly

in the congressional rumor mill

today took on the attributes of a serious and spreading scandal.

The FBI formed a special squad

to investigate allegations of homosexual activity

between congressmen and teenage pages.

One congressman came forward after rumors surfaced

that he was involved in the case.

I have always been aggressive and upfront with what I believe in.

And when I have people telling me

that a whole series of false accusations

are made against my character,

frankly, it makes me mad as hell.

MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GAY

WHO ARE IN PUBLIC SERVICE SEEM TO THINK

THAT THEY'RE IMMUNE FROM BEING EXPOSED.

AND THEY GO OUT. THEY GO TO BARS.

THEY GO TO CLUBS. THEY EVEN GO TO BATHHOUSES.

WHEN I WAS REALLY YOUNG IN D.C. BACK IN THE '80s,

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES TO GO BACK THEN

WAS "THE FOLLIES."

THERE WERE A NUMBER OF MEN I SAW THERE FROM TIME TO TIME

AND HE WAS ONE OF THOSE.

HE HAD TAKEN NOTICE OF ME

AND THEN HE SAID, "LET'S GO SOMEWHERE ELSE"

AND I PROCEEDED TO FOLLOW HIM

TO HIS HOUSE ON CAPITOL HILL.

THERE WERE PICTURES OF FAMILY AROUND

AND A CARD THAT WAS ADDRESSED TO SUZANNE CRAIG.

WE THEN WOUND UP PERFORMING ORAL SEX ON EACH OTHER

AND THEN HE WANTED TO FUCK ME.

ONCE HE HAD COME,

IT WAS EVERYTHING TO GET ME BACK OUT OF THERE.

HE GRABBED ME BY THE SHOULDER AND VERY BOLDLY SAID,

"REMEMBER, YOU NEVER SAW ME.

YOU'VE NEVER BEEN HERE."

AND HE REACHED INTO HIS POCKET,

TOOK OUT A $20 BILL,

SHOVED IT IN MY BACK POCKET WITH ONE FINGER

AND SAID, "JUST REMEMBER,

I CAN BUY AND SELL YOUR ASS 1,000 TIMES."

Let me be clear: I am not gay.

I never have been gay.

IT'S VERY OFTEN THOSE SELF-HATING GAY PEOPLE WHO,

IN THE CLOSET, ARE THE MOST VICIOUS

TOWARDS OTHER GAYS AND LESBIANS

AS A WAY TO KIND OF DEFLECT ATTENTION

FROM THEIR OWN ORIENTATION.

THERE IS NOT ONE CIVIL RIGHTS LAW

AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL THAT EXISTS

TO PROTECT GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL

OR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT ONE LAW.

THE FACT THAT SENATOR CRAIG AND THOSE LIKE HIM

CAN ENGAGE IN HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY ONE MINUTE

AND THEN TRY TO WRITE US OUT OF EXISTENCE THE NEXT--

THERE IS NO PUNISHMENT HARSH ENOUGH AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.

He was a powerful force on senate committees,

a solid family-values conservative.

The American people already know

that Bill Clinton is a bad boy,

a naughty boy. I'm going to speak out

for the citizens of my state who,

in the majority, think that Bill Clinton

is probably even a nasty bad naughty boy.

But in October 2006,

eight months before the senator's arrest in Minneapolis,

a gay activist named Michael Rogers

who makes it his business to out conservative politicians

wrote in his blog that he'd interviewed several men

who'd claimed to have had sex with Senator Larry Craig.

IN OCTOBER OF '06 I OUTED LARRY CRAIG.

I KNOW SOMEBODY WHO HAD SEX WITH LARRY CRAIG IN A RESTROOM AT UNION STATION.

THAT, TO ME, IS THE CRUX OF THE CASE RIGHT THERE.

RIGHT NOW I HAVE A NUMBER OF OPEN FILES

OF FOLKS THAT I'M ACTIVELY LOOKING AT,

FROM A U.S. CABINET OFFICIAL

TO OFFICES OF SOME PRETTY ANTIGAY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

SO I'M HERE. I'M GETTING READY

TO GO ON "HANNITY & COLMES" 00.

DAVID'S WITH ME, HELPING ME OUT ON SOME OF MY TALKING POINTS.

- SAY HI, DAVID. - HELLO.

CAN'T LET THE RIGHT WING BE THE ONLY ONES WITH THE FLAG.

I ACTUALLY ONCE HAD SOMEBODY ASK ME ON FOX NEWS,

"ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO WEAR THAT FLAG?" "YEAH, I AM."

SO, DAVID, WHY DON'T YOU FIRE ME A FEW QUESTIONS

LIKE HOW HANNITY'S GOING TO DO THAT, YOU KNOW?

"MIKE, HOW IS WHAT YOU'RE DOING DIFFERENT THAN McCARTHYISM?"

- THIS IS McCARTHYISM!" - FIRST OF ALL,

SEAN, McCARTHY WAS A LIAR.

McCARTHY PUT OUT FALSE INFORMATION

- ABOUT AMERICANS. - OH NO!

THAT'S JUST THE SAUCE. I'M GONNA HAVE TO CUT YOU OFF RIGHT THERE.

- MIKE-- MIKE-- MIKE-- - SEAN-- SEAN-- SEAN--

- WE'RE OUTTA TIME. - THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS.

YOUR MOUTH WILL OPEN, BUT NOTHING WILL COME OUT OF IT.

Breaking news tonight. Fox News has confirmed

that Senator Larry Craig may be reconsidering his decision to resign.

Joining us now with reaction to this story

is blogger Mike Rogers, who called for an investigation

into Craig last year. All right, from the beginning.

HI, SEAN, AND GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON.

Larry Craig is a hypocrite.

He is an antigay closeted individual who has sex with other men.

I read what you had and apparently this tape of this one guy

that "The Idaho Statesman" followed up on.

- It was a-- wait, hang on a second. - It's not one guy, Sean.

It was an anonymous source-- why doesn't the guy go on the record?

Sean, it's not one guy. It's now three or four.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT IN MY MIND.

I HAVE HEARD PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS REPEATED TO ME FROM VARIOUS INDIVIDUALS.

I don't know about Senator Craig. I'm going to be honest,

- I don't have the details. There is suspicion-- - I DO, I DO.

Are there others in the same category as Larry Craig