Now, I am not a criminal lawyer, and I don't play on TV but is anyone allowed to change a guilty plea a few months after the fact? This seems completely willy-nilly. I thought once you plead guilty, you were sentenced and/or fined and then the situation is done. If this is applicable to everyone, can a person who plead guilty to a heinous crime just decide later decide to withdraw their plea? Is there any lawyers out there who might be able to shed some light on this?Idaho Senator Larry Craig will attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in court and blames the press for pressuring him to make it, says William Martin, Craig's attorney.
"Persuading a judge to withdraw a guilty plea is difficult but Craig will argue that he was under too much stress to knowingly plead guilty, Martin said. 'He was under tremendous pressure,' Martin said in a telephone interview. In particular, Martin cited pressure from Craig's hometown newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, which spent months investigating whether Craig engaged in homosexual encounters. Craig, who has denied such suggestions and accused the newspaper of conducting a 'witch hunt,' was so concerned about that investigation, he quickly pleaded guilty when arrested in the bathroom sex sting, Martin said. Craig did not consult with a lawyer or appear in court. He figured, 'I'm innocent but if this will make it go away I'll do it,' Martin said.
Also, I think we are all pretty convinced that Senator Craig is gay. The ultimate question around this weekend conspiracy is were the Minnesota airport police tipped off to start this story? Now, the other question is why are the airport police focused on arresting johns in the bathroom rather than trying to prevent terrorists from operating in their house? Doesn't it seem that might be a better use of the police's time?
1 comment:
Yes, I'm convinced now that he is gay, even though for a while there I was in doubt.
For your information, Hendrik Herzberg has an interesting lead article in the latest New Yorker magazine comparing Larry Craig with Bayard Rustin. The latter was caught in a car with two younger guys back in the early 1960’s I think but survived it OK in terms of being able to continue a liberal activist career whereas it looks like Craig’s little slip will end his. The reason? No sympathy or the slightest understanding, and instead sanctimonious attacks from Republican colleagues, plus the fact that Craig won’t come out of the closet. In a real sense he's his own worst enemy, contributing to his own demise.
It’s pretty clear to me now that Craig really is gay. I re-read that report by the officer which stated that Craig peaked through the crack in the toilet stall door, then chose that stall next to the officer, then tapped his foot. Could the officer have been lying? Improbable. Craig’s excuses were pretty feeble, too: e.g. the bit about the “wide stance”. As far as the conspiracy to trap him goes, that may still be true.
The Daily Show had a great hilarious piece on the incident on Monday night which I caught Tuesday at 8pm. They even brought Rob Cordry back to pose as on observer in the stall. Hilarious!
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