On tape, Craig denies allegations of soliciting officer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho denied in his arrest interview that he was trying to engage in lewd behavior in an airport bathroom and suggested he was entrapped by the arresting officer, according to audiotape of the interview released Thursday.

"I sit down to go to the bathroom, and you said our feet bumped," Craig told an officer. "I believe they did ... because I reached down and scooted over and the next thing I knew, under the bathroom divider comes a card that says 'police.' "

Craig said he was in the bathroom for its intended purpose and told the officers,"I am not gay. I don't do these kinds of things."

"You shouldn't be out to entrap people either," Craig said. Listen to the interview »

The officer accused Craig of lying during the contentious, eight-minute session, and said he would not take the senator to jail "as long as you're cooperative."

"I'm just disappointed in you, sir," the officer said. "I mean, people vote for you."

Craig spokesman Dan Whiting said Thursday the tape "speaks for itself."

Craig pleaded guilty earlier this month to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge stemming from his June arrest at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to state criminal records.

Craig told reporters Tuesday he did not take part in "inappropriate conduct" and said he had "overreacted and made a poor decision" in pleading guilty. No sexual contact is alleged to have taken place, although the officer who arrested the senator said Craig moved his foot to touch the officer's foot while they sat in adjoining restroom stalls.

Craig is a three-term senator who has aligned himself with conservative groups that oppose gay rights. Watch how Craig addresses gay rumors »

Earlier Thursday, Sen. John Ensign, who heads the Republican senatorial campaign committee, joined the list of people putting Craig under increasing pressure to resign, The Associated Press reported.

Ensign, of Nevada, did not call on Craig to step down, but strongly suggested he do so, AP reported.

"I wouldn't put myself, hopefully, in that kind of position, but if I was in a position like that, that's what I would do," he told AP.

A spokesman for Craig said he expected no word Thursday on whether the embattled lawmaker would resign.

At least three other key Republicans in Congress have called for Craig's resignation, and the senator's support in his home state of Idaho apparently has declined.

Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter on Thursday declined to say whether Craig should step down. But he acknowledged the predicament Craig is in.

"He's in a tough spot," Otter told CNN's Dana Bash. "He's going to have to work it out."

Meanwhile, a SurveyUSA poll showed that 55 percent of Idaho respondents think Craig should step down. The poll of 475 registered Idaho voters was conducted Tuesday. Thirty-four percent of the 475 respondents said Craig should remain in office.

The Idaho Statesman -- a newspaper the senator has accused of conducting a "witch hunt" -- was frank in calling for his resignation.

"We cannot abide an elected official who didn't disclose a lewd conduct arrest until the story broke 77 days later -- a lie by omission and a violation of the public trust," the Statesman said in an editorial published in Thursday's editions. "We cannot afford ... to have a senator who merely provides fodder for bloggers and late-night talk show hosts."

In its editorial, the Boise newspaper pointed out it endorsed Craig for re-election in 2002. But in recent months, it had been investigating allegations that Craig had made sexual advances to men.

Sen. John McCain, a GOP presidential candidate, called Craig's case "disgraceful."

"My opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, then you shouldn't serve," said McCain, of Arizona. "And that's not a moral stand, that's not a 'holier-than-thou,' it's just a factual situation."

Another Republican senator, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, said Craig pleaded guilty to "a crime involving conduct unbecoming a senator."

And Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said Craig should give up his Senate seat.

On Thursday, former Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee said Craig's actions, if true, are "despicable." Frist, a Republican, is a former Senate majority leader.

Craig has agreed to give up his leadership posts on Senate committees temporarily, Republican Senate leaders announced Wednesday.

Craig is the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and on two key subcommittees -- the Appropriations Committee's panel overseeing the Interior Department and the Energy and National Resources subcommittee on public lands.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, for whose presidential campaign Craig was a Senate liaison, told CNBC on Tuesday that Craig "has disappointed the American people."

Craig, 62 and married, has stepped down from his role in the Romney camp.

The White House also has voiced its displeasure over the scandal.

"We're disappointed in what's going on," Bush spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters. But Stanzel said the issue was "a matter for the senator and the Senate Republican leadership to address."

He added: "We hope that it will be resolved quickly, as that would be in the best interests of the Senate and the people of Idaho." E-mail to a friend

CNN's Dana Bash, Candy Crowley and Jessica Yellin contributed to this report.

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