WASHINGTON - The White House said Saturday that the embattled Republican Senator Larry Craig made the right decision by resigning amid a scandal over his arrest in an airport bathroom.
"Senator Craig made the right decision for himself, his family, his constituents and the US Senate," Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman, told AFP.
President George W. Bush called the Idaho lawmaker after hearing news of his resignation, Stanzel said.
"He told Senator Craig he knew it was a difficult decision for him to make and he wished him well," the spokesman said.
Under pressure from his own Republican Party, Craig announced in Idaho's state capital of Boise that he was resigning effective September 30 following a storm of criticism over his embarrassing arrest.
Craig, 62, was arrested June 11 in a men's bathroom at Minneapolis-St Paul airport by an undercover police officer investigating complaints of homosexual activity. The officer said Craig solicited him for sex.
The veteran lawmaker pleaded guilty on August 8 to a misdemeanor misconduct charge, paid more than 500 dollars in fines and fees and received a 10-day suspended sentence.
The incident only surfaced in a Washington newspaper report on August 27, leading to a firestorm over morality and hypocrisy in the conservative party and putting pressure on Craig to step down.
Last week, Craig denied being gay, insisted he did nothing wrong and said he had pleaded guilty to a lesser charge "in the hopes of making it go away."
09/01/2007 18:09 GMT