Former senator gives up appeal of conviction in airport sting

The latest word from Minnesota is that former U.S. Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho), who resigned after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct after being caught up in a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport restroom in 2007, is giving up efforts to clear his name legally. Craig's attorney, Thomas M. Kelly of Kelly & Jacobson of Minneapolis, said today that the former senator would not appeal the case to the Minnesota Supreme Court. "This is not a case the Supreme Court of Minnesota would accept for review," Kelly told the Washington Post. "It's not that novel of an issue." Last month, a state appeals court refused to overturn a lower court's refusal to allow Craig to withdraw his guilty plea. Craig has argued publicly and in court that he was pressured to plead guilty by police and that his conduct was not illegal. Craig is said to be forming a consulting company, the Post said, and considering writing a book about "the state of politics in Washington today."