Roll Call on BLG's Hiring by Senator Craig

Craig Hires a Crisis Team; Otter Still Quiet

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Over the weekend, Craig put in place a high-powered crisis management team, including D.C. attorney Billy Martin, communications expert Judy Smith of Impact Strategies and attorney Stan Brand, who will handle any Senate Ethics Committee investigation. Craig also hired Minneapolis attorney Tom Kelly.

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“What you’re seeing is an attempt to lift the cloud he’s been operating under,” Brand told Roll Call on Monday. “The politics kind of overtook the law.”

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) on Sunday became the first Senator to come to Craig’s defense. “I’d still like to see Sen. Craig fight this case,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.” “I’d like to see Larry Craig go back to court, seek to withdraw his guilty plea and fight the case.”

Craig appears to be taking that advice to heart, but Brand said he expects the embattled Senator to leave the Senate on Sept. 30. “I take him at his word,” he said.

Brand added, “He hired me and Billy Martin to see if he can leave with his honor intact.”

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