Former Sen. Craig Ordered to Pay for Misused Funds - East Idaho News
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Former Sen. Craig Ordered to Pay for Misused Funds

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LARRY  CRAIG

BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Former U.S. Sen. Larry Craig has been ordered to pay nearly $242,000 to the U.S. Treasury for improperly using campaign funds to cover legal expenses after his arrest in a 2007 airport bathroom sex sting.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled Tuesday that Craig illegally converted campaign money for personal expenses while attempting to withdraw his guilty plea to one count of disorderly conduct.

Jackson found that Craig’s effort was not connected to his duties representing Idahoans in Congress.

The Republican senator argued that Senate rules allow reimbursements for any official travel costs. He says he was traveling between Idaho and Washington, D.C., for work.

The Federal Election Commission countered, saying Craig violated campaign laws when he relied on donor dollars to cover his legal expenses.

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