Senator Stevens Guilty on 7 Felony Counts

Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican in the Senate, received dreadful news on Monday, just 8 days before his re-election bid. A jury found him guilty on 7 counts of misreporting gifts from constituents. Each charge carries a possible 5 year sentence. The jury’s decision also probably sinks the senator’s hope of keeping the seat for the GOP.

Naturally, Mr. Stevens is entitled to appeal, and he certainly will. He was feisty after the verdict, “I am obviously disappointed in the verdict but not surprised given the repeated instances of prosecutorial misconduct in this case. The prosecutors had to report themselves to the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility during the trial for ethical violations,” Stevens’ statement said. The statement added, “Exculpatory evidence was hidden from my lawyers. A witness was kept from us and then sent back to Alaska. The government lawyers allowed evidence to be introduced that they knew was false. I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have.”

The problem for Mr. Stevens is he cannot have his appeal heard before election day. He is probably going down to defeat after the conviction. Polls showed him running about even with Mark Begich, the Democrat in the race. The Democratic Party has spent a lot on Mr. Begich, and he may well pull this race out of the bag now. Alaskans tend to be conservative, but they don’t like corruption very much.

What exactly did he do? MSNBC explains, “The month long trial revealed that employees for oil services company VECO Corp. transformed the senator's modest mountain cabin into a modern, two-story home with wraparound porches, a sauna and a wine cellar. The Senate’s longest-serving Republican, Stevens said he had no idea he was getting freebies. He said he paid $160,000 for the project and believed that covered everything. Stevens’ conviction hinged on the testimony of Bill Allen, the senator’s longtime drinking and fishing buddy. Allen, the founder of VECO, testified that he never billed his friend for the work on the house and that Stevens knew he was getting a special deal.”

This is the end of Ted Steven’s in the US Senate. Senator John McCain has called for him to step down. Even if re-elected, there is no way the Democratically-controlled chamber will let him take his seat. On a two-thirds vote, the Senate can vote to expel him, and finding 10 Republicans who want to polish up their ethical credentials shouldn’t be hard to find.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

Kensington Review Home