SEN. CRAIG steps down from Commitees. CREW wants Senators Stevens and Vitter to do the same.

[L. Coyote]

Craig steps down from Commitees. CREW wants Senators Stevens and Vitter to do the same.
Submitted by crew on 29 August 2007 - 5:03pm.
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/30008

As the Associated Press (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/29/AR2007082901628.html?hpid=topnews) reported, Senator Larry Craig has given up several committee assignments:

   For a second consecutive day, GOP Senate leaders stepped in, issuing a statement .......

Following this development, CREW issued this statement because we believe that Senators Stevens and Vitter should be subject to the same treatment:

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, expressed surprise that Sen. Larry Craig has been forced to relinquish his committee assignments in light of this week's revelations that he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with an attempted sexual encounter with an undercover officer in a Minneapolis airport restroom.

"Senator Ted Stevens maintains his position on the Appropriations Committee despite being the subject of a major criminal investigation, including an FBI raid on his Alaska home and Senator David Vitter maintains his assignments despite admitting to the crime of soliciting a prostitute."

Sloan noted that in response to CREW's calls for Sen. Stevens to step down from his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee where he has jurisdiction over the Department of Justice's budget, Senate Minority Leader Mitchell McConnell demurred, defending Sen. Stevens. Sloan continued, "A disorderly conduct plea requires a member to give up his committee assignment, but a full-fledged bribery investigation does not. Apparently, in the view of the Republican conference there is almost nothing more serious than a member attempting to engage in gay sex."

"For consistency’s sake, Senators Stevens and Vitter should both be forced to give up their committee assignments as well."

SUPPORT CREW!!!

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Stevens will never step down.

He doesn't think he's done anything wrong, and as long as he has bipartisan defenders, such as Reid and Inouye, there's not much pressure on him to do so. Salacious sex scandals, especially homosexual sex scandals, are so much more interesting and easy to grasp for the masses.

[splat]

2. Craig pleaded guilty

Among lawyers, that's it, a conviction. Stevens is still being investigated. Vitter wasn't arrested, he showed up on a phone list.

Craign was arrested, waived trial, pled guilty. Huge difference.

[L. Coyote]

3. Especially under Senate Ethics rules. It is a Mea Culpa!