Sen. Larry Craig to Resign Saturday

BOISE, ID -- Republican Idaho Senator Larry Craig is resigning from the Senate following his arrest and guilty plea for soliciting sex from a police officer in a public restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in June.

Republican officials told NBC News Friday that Craig will announce at a news conference in Boise Saturday morning that he is resigning from the Senate effective Sept. 30. Craig's spokesman, Dan Whiting, had said earlier that the senator would announce his career plans Saturday but did not say whether Craig intended to resign.

Craig has not made any comments to the media since Tuesday when he declared defiantly at a Boise news conference: "I am not gay. I never have been gay."

Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for "lewd conduct." According to the arrest report, Craig tried to solicit sex with a plainclothes police officer in a public restroom.

The arresting officer alleged that Craig lingered outside a rest room stall where the officer was sitting, then entered the stall next door and made signals which the officer said he recognized "as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct."

Craig pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court on August 8 and paid more than $500 in fines and fees. A 10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation.

However, Craig later said he regret his guilty plea, "At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions. I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."

Senator Craig is married with three grown children and nine grandchildren.