At a news conference just completed, Sen. Larry Craig said he "did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport" and that he regretted his "decision to plead guilty and the sadness that decision has brought to my wife, family, friends, staff, and fellow Idahoans." Furthermore, Craig said, he was not gay and "never have been." Craig took particularly exception to a story in today's Idaho Statesman, saying the paper had engaged in a "witch hunt" in trying to expose his homosexuality. He said he would announce his political plans next month.

The Senate Republican leadership released this statement today as well:

Late yesterday we became aware of the incident involving Senator Larry Craig and his subsequent admission of guilt in a Minnesota court. This is a serious matter. Due to the reported and disputed circumstances, and the legal resolution of this serious case, we will recommend that Senator Craig's incident be reported to the Senate Ethics Committee for its review. In the meantime, Leadership is examining other aspects of the case to determine if additional action is required.