Idaho senator to resign over airport sex scandal: reports

Idaho Senator Larry Craig will resign from the Senate amid a furor overhis arrest following an allegedgay sex proposition in an airport bathroom, Republican officials said Friday.

Four state Republican officials speaking on condition of anonymity told the Associated Press that Craig will announce his resignation at a news conference in Boise Saturday morning, with plans to step down Sept. 30.

The announcement would come just five days after the disclosure that he had pleaded guilty Aug. 1 to a reduced misdemeanour charge arising out of his arrest June 11 at the Minneapolis airport.

Craig's spokesman, Dan Whiting, confirmed earlier Friday that Craig would give a statement on Saturday, but refused to say whether he would step down.

Craig, 62, was arrested June 8 after allegedly making sexual advances to an undercover police officer in a men's washroom. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, paid $575 US in fines and was put on unsupervised probation for a year.

He has since said he regrets pleading guilty and has denied making a sexual advance to the officer in the next washroom stall.

The arrest has caused a number of politicians, including Republicans, to call for his resignation.

"We have acted promptly to begin the process of dealing with this conduct," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said several members of the Republican Senate caucus want Craig to step down.

Idaho Republican officials suggested Friday that Idaho Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter may have tapped Lt.-Gov. Jim Risch to replace Craig, but Otter's office refused to confirm this.

"We don't have a successor to name yet," said spokesman Jon Hanian. "We're not going to deal in hypotheticals."

Nevada Senator John Ensign, a fellow Republican,said Thursday that if he were in Craig's position, he'd resign.

"He's going to have to answer that for himself," he said.

U.S. President George W. Bush refused to answer questions about whether Craig should resign at a White House briefing Friday.