Scandal-hit US senator to appeal

Larry Craig said he should have told his family about his arrest

A US Senator arrested for allegedly soliciting gay sex has said he will appeal against a ruling that bars him from withdrawing a guilty plea.

A Minnesota judge ruled earlier this month that a guilty plea by Idaho Senator Larry Craig was valid.

But Mr Craig has said he wants that ruling overturned, and intends to serve out his term as senator.

In a TV interview, he also hit out at presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who sacked him after the scandal broke.

I was very proud of my association with Mitt Romney... And he not only threw me under his campaign bus, he backed up and ran over me again Senator Larry Craig

Mr Craig, 62, was arrested on 11 June by an undercover police officer at Minneapolis-St Paul airport for allegedly soliciting gay sex in an airport toilet.

He says police misconstrued his actions, and has repeatedly said he is not gay.

Mr Craig had originally said he would resign his seat, but later insisted he would serve out his term then retire.

In an interview with KTVB television channel, the Republican senator said he would challenge a recent decision not to allow him to withdraw a guilty plea.

"It is my right to do what I'm doing," Mr Craig said.

"I've already provided for Idaho certainty that Idaho needed - I'm not running for re-election. I'm no longer in the way. I am pursuing my constitutional rights."

In a separate interview with NBC, Mr Craig talked of his relations with Mr Romney, who had employed him in his presidential campaign team.

"I was very proud of my association with Mitt Romney," Mr Craig said.

"And he not only threw me under his campaign bus, he backed up and ran over me again," he added

Regret

Mr Craig told NBC he kept his arrest quiet because: "I didn't want to embarrass my wife, my kids, Idaho and my friends."

"And I wrestled with it a long while.

"I should have told my wife. I should have told my kids. And most importantly, I should have told counsel."

The three-term senator, who has represented Idaho for 27 years, has a record of hostility to gay rights and is a married father-of-three.

Mr Craig's wife, Suzanne, told NBC of her shock when her husband told her the news was going to break.

"I felt like the floor was falling out from under me," she said.