He had been under investigation for several years. From AP-
WASHINGTON - Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator and a figure in Alaska politics since before statehood, has been indicted on seven counts of falsely reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in services he received from a company that helped renovate his home. Stevens, 84, has been dogged by a federal investigation into whether he pushed for fishing legislation that also benefited his son, an Alaska lobbyist.Stevens indictment is just the latest troubling news for the GOP as they try to not get knocked out in this November's Senate races. The Alaska Senate seat under normal circumstances would be considered safely Republican. Not so in 2008, where Stevens troubles has brought a serious Democratic challenge from Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. As things stand at the moment, the Republican party will be lucky not to lose more than five Senate seats this fall.From May 1999 to August 2007, prosecutors said Stevens concealed "his continuing receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of things of value from a private corporation." The indictment released Tuesday said the items included: home improvements to his vacation home in Alaska, including a new first floor, garage, wraparound deck, plumbing, electrical wiring; as well as car exchanges, a Viking gas grill, furniture and tools.
Justice Department officials were holding a news conference later Tuesday to discuss the charges.
Messages left Tuesday at both Stevens' Senate office in Washington and his campaign office in Anchorage were not immediately returned.
Prosecutors said Stevens "took multiple steps to continue" receiving things from oil services company VECO Corp., and its founder, Bill Allen. At the time, the indictment says, Allen and other VECO employees were soliciting Stevens for "multiple official actions .... knowing that Stevens could and did use his official position and his office on behalf of VECO during that same time period."
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Comments (15)
Well, at least the two Sena... (Below threshold)1. Posted by DJ Drummond | July 29, 2008 1:49 PM | Score: 3 (5 votes cast)
Well, at least the two Senators the GOP will still have in 2012 will be squeaky clean, morally.
1. Posted by DJ Drummond | July 29, 2008 1:49 PM |
Score: 3 (5 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 13:49
2. Posted by Scrapiron | July 29, 2008 2:00 PM | Score: 2 (4 votes cast)
Good, only 534 more members of the most criminal congress in history to go and the replacements 'might' learn a lesson.
Is Dodd (demorat) next on the chopping block?
Term limits for all.
2. Posted by Scrapiron | July 29, 2008 2:00 PM |
Score: 2 (4 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 14:00
3. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | July 29, 2008 2:03 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Stevens should have stepped down long ago. But since his moral compass has been MIA for years, the people of Alaska keep voting for him and there are no term limits, what was to stop him? The parties don't take it on themselves to give people the boot very often.
3. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | July 29, 2008 2:03 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 14:03
4. Posted by Mike | July 29, 2008 2:17 PM | Score: 4 (8 votes cast)
Seriously, accepting improper gifts (*ding* Robert Torricelli) and passing legislation that financially benefited family members (*ding* Harry Reid) are not exactly major crimes, so I wonder why investigators dogged Stevens for so long? Perhaps he just got sloppy and failed to properly cover up his graft. Oh well, one less octogenarian Senator to worry about, I guess.
4. Posted by Mike | July 29, 2008 2:17 PM |
Score: 4 (8 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 14:17
5. Posted by ken | July 29, 2008 2:30 PM | Score: 1 (3 votes cast)
He'll have his day in court and Justice will be served. If guilty, I hope they throw the book at him. Until the Republican Party gets a clue and starts running real conservatives, they'll be out of power. I'm voting for Obama and let the Dems run it all for a change. Once it gets really bad, then maybe the voters will clean both parties out of office.
5. Posted by ken | July 29, 2008 2:30 PM |
Score: 1 (3 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 14:30
6. Posted by jpm100 | July 29, 2008 2:32 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
This October surprise slipped out early, didn't it?
And yet Dodd (D), who benefitted directly from the very lending companies he regulated, gets nothing but crickets from the press.
6. Posted by jpm100 | July 29, 2008 2:32 PM |
Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 14:32
7. Posted by Gmac | July 29, 2008 2:54 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
"latest troubling news for the GOP" ???
I don't see it that way, the party will be rid of that corrupt SOB at long last. Sen Stevens is the person that clamored for the "Bridge to no where" and is widely regarded as the GOP's Sen Byrd. The less we have of Senators like him from both party's the bettor off this country will be.
7. Posted by Gmac | July 29, 2008 2:54 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 14:54
8. Posted by iurockhead | July 29, 2008 3:22 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Good riddance. Even if the Dems choose not to punish corruption in their ranks, the Reps should. It's the right thing to do.
Oh, and: 4. Posted by Mike | July 29, 2008
Don't forget (Ding!) William Jefferson (D-LA), Mr. "Cold hard cash."
8. Posted by iurockhead | July 29, 2008 3:22 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 15:22
9. Posted by hyperbolist | July 29, 2008 3:22 PM | Score: -3 (5 votes cast)
But without Sen. Stevens careful stewardship of the intertubes, what's to keep them from getting all clogged up with information trucks?
9. Posted by hyperbolist | July 29, 2008 3:22 PM |
Score: -3 (5 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 15:22
10. Posted by Oyster | July 29, 2008 3:41 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
I don't even want to wait for a guilty verdict. Just throw him out. Better yet, have him take a long walk off a short bridge.
10. Posted by Oyster | July 29, 2008 3:41 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 15:41
11. Posted by J.R. | July 29, 2008 4:08 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Couldn't have happened soon enough. This man is a crook, at least when it comes to spending taxpayer money. It's a good day to see him suffering and the GOP should be happy to see him go. Is there anyway to get him off the ballot and give someone else a run at his seat?
11. Posted by J.R. | July 29, 2008 4:08 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 16:08
12. Posted by Brian | July 29, 2008 8:46 PM | Score: -1 (3 votes cast)
A republican accused of corruption and reckless spending?! Thats unheard of!
12. Posted by Brian | July 29, 2008 8:46 PM |
Score: -1 (3 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 20:46
13. Posted by Sputnik | July 29, 2008 8:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I think it's pretty telling that you point out every little legal problem the Democrats have but totally ignore it when a Republican....what? Oh. Never mind.
13. Posted by Sputnik | July 29, 2008 8:57 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 29, 2008 20:57
14. Posted by Brian | July 30, 2008 2:10 AM | Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
For the record, that "Brian" in #12 is not me. I did not post that.
14. Posted by Brian | July 30, 2008 2:10 AM |
Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on July 30, 2008 02:10
15. Posted by hyperbolist | July 30, 2008 5:16 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
"I'm Brian!"
"No, I'm Brian, and so is my wife!"
15. Posted by hyperbolist | July 30, 2008 5:16 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on July 30, 2008 17:16