US senator may not resign over sex scandal

US SENATOR Larry Craig says he is reconsidering his decision to resign after his arrest in a Minnesota airport sex sting and may still fight for his senate seat, his spokesman said.

Since announcing on Saturday he intended to resign on September 30, the Republican politician who has represented Idaho for 27 years has hired a prominent lawyer to investigate the possibility of reversing his guilty plea.

“It’s not such a foregone conclusion anymore that the only thing he could do was resign,” said Craig’s spokesman Sidney Smith.

“We’re still preparing as if Senator Craig will resign on September 30, but the outcome of the legal case in Minnesota and the ethics investigation will have an impact on whether we’re able to stay in the fight — and stay in the senate,” said Mr Smith.

Mr Craig announced his resignation following a scandal over his arrest for soliciting sex from an undercover police officer in an airport toilet.

On August 1, Mr Craig, aged 62, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanour disorderly conduct following his June 11 arrest at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport.