Former Senator Larry Craig Heads to Court

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Former Republican U.S. Sen. Larry Craig aims to fend off a federal election lawsuit by arguing his infamous June 11, 2007, Minneapolis airport bathroom visit that ended in his sex-sting arrest was part of his official Senate business. He's hoping to avoid repaying $217,000 in campaign funds the Federal Election Commission claims he misused to defend himself. The FEC sued Craig in June in federal court in June. It alleges he converted the campaign money to personal use by spending it on his legal defense after he was accused of soliciting sex in a Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport bathroom. The commission argues Craig's defense had no connection to his campaign. But Craig says money tied to the trip was for neither personal use nor his campaign. He says it fell under his official, reimbursable duties as senator because he was traveling between Idaho and the nation's capital for work.