| Senator Larry E. Craig’s request to withdraw his guilty plea in an airport sex sting will be heard on Sept. 26, four days before he has said he will leave the Senate. A spokesman for Mr. Craig, Republican of Idaho, said he was unlikely to try to finish his third term unless Hennepin County District Court moved quickly to overturn the conviction. Mr. Craig has been under pressure from fellow Republicans to resign. The hearing will be before Judge Charles A. Porter, rather than Judge Gary Larson, who had accepted the plea. That could help Mr. Craig’s lawyers, who are arguing, in effect, that Judge Larson erred in accepting the plea. It is not known whether Mr. Craig will appear, said Judy Smith, a spokeswoman for Billy Martin, a lawyer for Mr. Craig. Mr. Craig was arrested on June 11 by an airport police officer and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a gross misdemeanor charge of interference with privacy. Mr. Craig has since said his plea was a mistake. He filed a request on Monday to withdraw it. |
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