On June 11, 2007, Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in a police undercover operation designed to crack down on lewd behavior in a public men’s restroom. According to police reports, Craig loitered in the restroom for a couple minutes before entering a stall next to police sergeant David Karsnia and signaling that he wished to engage in lewd conduct by tapping his feet and passing his hand under the barrier that divided the two stalls. At this point, Karsnia identified himself as a police officer and took him into custody for an interview about the incident. Craig remained in custody for approximately 45 minutes as he was interviewed, photographed, fingerprinted and released.

Despite contending that the incident was a misunderstanding based in part on his “wide stance when going to the bathroom,” on August 8, 2007, Craig pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct in Hennepin County District Court and paid a fine in excess of $500. A ten-day sentence was stayed. After the incident became public knowledge, Craig disputed the details of the event in question; a spokesperson called it a “he said/he said misunderstanding.”   Nonetheless, less than a week after the story broke in the news, Craig resigned his seat in the Senate effective September 30, 2007.