Larry Craig. Once one of the most powerful Senators in Washington, is now ten years removed from one of the biggest political scandals to rock the state of Idaho. The former Senator agreed to sit down with Six On Your Side's Don Nelson to talk about everything from life after politics, to life with Donald Trump.
Who can forget that day in Boise when then Senator Larry Craig addressed the nation. Craig told dozens of reporters,
"First,please let me apologize to my family, friends, and staff and fellow Idahoans for the cloud placed over Idaho."
Craig was talking about his arrest at a Minneapolis airport bathroom in 2007 on suspicion of lewd conduct. He denied any wrong doing, appealing the case, but in the end walked away with a guilty plea intact. He did not run for re-election a year later.
Nelson asked Craig why he didn't just go away. Craig responded,
"Well, there was no reason to, I had twenty eight years in Washington. I made the decision that now's the time to come and start a life in a slightly different way."
Besides being with his wife and extended family, energy issues take up most of his time with a new venture called "New West Strategies". So part of his new gig still takes him back to Washington where he stays in touch with a number of sitting Senators. Nelson asked if he still has a good relationship with them, Craig replied, "It is a good relationship".
But one Senator, John McCain brings a stern look to Craig's face. Nelson wanted to know if Craig would stand with some Republican Senators like McCain who have been critical of President Donald Trump.
"I know exactly where I would stand, John McCain is critical of everyone except John McCain." McCain was one of the G.O.P. Senators who urged Craig to step down after the arrest in 2007.
As far as the media goes, the former Senator feels they are creating a list of people to go after, and Donald Trump is right at the top of that list.
"I know the media is a liberal establishment and always has been, and if they find a reason to pick on a conservative, they pick on him pretty bad."
Craig told Nelson he can relate to the their coverage.
"I do remember a day when someone would write something about me on the Internet and the media would put it on the newspaper and they never vetted, never checked it out."
For now, Larry Craig seems at peace with himself in his home state of Idaho, a place where he has proudly served for over 30 years.
