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More than a year ago, The Ticket noted how everything seemed to be coming up roses for the
Democrats as the landscape took shape for 2008 Senate races.
Now, with the election a week away, the party caught still another break with the conviction this
afternoon of the longest-serving Republican in the Senate -- Ted Stevens of Alaska -- on all
seven counts of failing to report an array of gifts.
Most obviously, the jury's verdict is a huge blow to Stevens' bid for a seventh full Senate term.
Is it a fatal one?
We'd pause before writing off Stevens -- even with a felony conviction weighing him down --
because of the status he long enjoyed among his constituents. And in a statement he issued,
Stevens, right, made clear he'll depict himself as the target of unscrupulous and unethical federal
prosecutors. "This verdict is the result of the unconscionable manner in which the Justice
Department lawyers conducted this trial."
But Anne Hays of the Anchorage-based Hays Research Group showed no hesitation to make a
political prediction as word spread in her state of Stevens' conviction.
"I think it sinks him," she told us as word spread of Stevens' conviction. His race against
Democrat Mark Begich "had tightened up," she noted. "But I think this will break it out again"
in Begich's favor.
More broadly, the verdict is yet another stain on a GOP brand ...
... that hardly needed it . Although it shouldn't directly hurt a specific Republican candidate, it
adds to a general malaise that has enveloped the party -- and which many GOP officials fear will
only get thicker with next week's election results.
The party also is counting on two more gains. In Colorado -- in the contest to fill still another
seat a Republican is giving up -- Mark Udall (Tom's cousin) appears headed for a win. And in
New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen is favored to take out incumbent John Sununu (one new poll,
though, shows the Republican still within shouting distance).
Democrats will be grossly disappointed if they don't win all five of these races. And they've set
their sights on more -- a victory by Al Franken over incumbent Norm Coleman in Minnesota,
along with triumphs by Democratic challengers over incumbents Liddy Dole in North Carolina
and Gordon Smith in Oregon. While hoping for a trifecta, the Democrats will gladly live with
two out of these three.
Here's what would really make it a big night for the party -- knocking off Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell, above, in Kentucky. That seems unlikely, but the mere broaching of the
prospect speaks to the political wind that might be blowing.
An upset of McConnell truly would be history-making -- no leader of the Senate's GOP faction
has been bounced from office since 1932, when Franklin Roosevelt's landslide took out with it
James Watson of Indiana. By contrast, Democrats lost their Senate leader as recently as four
years ago, when Tom Daschle of South Dakota was defeated by John Thune.
Not every race has played out the way Democrats wanted. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of
Maine, once seen as vulnerable, seems headed for reelection. But that has been the rare exception
in a season of discontent for candidates with an "R" beside their names.
-- Don Frederick
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/10/ted-stevens-con.html
http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/stevens/story/569304.html
1929-30: Father loses job after stock market crash; parents divorce; siblings return to
Indianapolis to live with grandparents, father.
1938: Moves to Manhattan Beach, Calif., to live with aunt after father dies.
1942: Graduates from Redondo Union High School, Redondo Beach, Calif. Enrolls in Oregon
State University; attends one semester.
1943: Enrolls in Montana State College for Army Air Corps cadet training. Joins U.S. Army Air
Corps in Santa Ana, Calif., receives wings in 1944.
1944-46: Serves as transport pilot flying C-46s and C-47s in China-Burma-India theater during
WW II; receives Distinguished Flying Cross.
1950: Graduates Harvard Law School, admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C.
1950: Hired by Washington D.C. law firm, legal adviser to Usibelli Coal Mine in Healy.
1952: Marries Ann Mary Cherrington in Denver, Colo. The union produces five children. Drives
up Alaska Highway to practice law in Fairbanks.
1956: Moves to D.C. as legislative counsel for Interior Dept., works for Alaska statehood.
1962: Runs for U.S. Senate; defeated by incumbent Democrat, Sen. Ernest Gruening.
1968: Runs for U.S. Senate; loses primary to Anchorage banker Elmer Rasmuson (who loses in
general election to Democrat Mike Gravel).
1968: Appointed to U.S. Senate by Alaska Gov. Walter Hickel on death of Sen. E.L. Bartlett.
1973: Helps win U.S. Senate approval of Trans-Alaska Pipeline Act by one-vote margin.
1978: Re-elected to U.S. Senate with 76 percent of the vote. Survives Learjet crash at Anchorage
International Airport; five people die, including wife Ann.
1997: Chairs Senate Appropriations Committee from 1997 to 2001 and 2003 to 2005; directs
more than $3 billion in federal money to Alaska from 1995 to 2008.
1998: Receives first of 10 "Oinker Awards" for wasteful government spending, from Citizens
Against Government Waste.
2000: Voted "Alaskan of the Century" by Alaskan of the Year Committee. Legislature renames
state's largest airport the "Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport."
2002: Re-elected to U.S. Senate with 78 percent of the vote; becomes longest serving Republican
senator.
2003: Appointed president pro tempore U.S. Senate, serves through 2007.
2007: FBI and IRS agents raid his Girdwood home on July 30.
2008: Files for re-election on Feb. 21 for eighth term in U.S. Senate.
Sources: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress; 2008 Almanac of American
Politics; Who's Who is Alaskan Politics, Anchorage Daily News files
http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/stevens/story/569304.html
WASHINGTON - A jury today found U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens guilty of all seven counts of lying
on his financial disclosure forms.
Jurors found Stevens, 84, guilty of willfully filing false financial-disclosure forms that hid such
gifts as a $2,695 massage chair, a stained glass window, a sled dog and renovations that doubled
the size of his Girdwood home. Those gifts, valued at as much as $250,000 over seven years,
came mostly from his former friend Bill Allen, the star prosecution witness in Stevens' trial and
the former owner of Veco Corp.
The oil field-services company was one of Alaska's largest private employers before Allen,
caught up in the federal corruption probe himself, was forced to sell it last year.
Now, Alaska voters will decide whether Stevens, who's represented the state in the Senate since
1968 and before that served in the state legislature and as a former assistant U.S. attorney and
Interior Department official, should continue to serve as their senator.
That decision came quickly for they jurors, who deliberated for less than two full days. As the
jury foreman read out the first guilty count this afternoon, the senator slumped slightly but was
silent. When the second count was read, his lawyer Brendan Sullivan reached over and put his
arm around Stevens. Sullivan shook his head in disappointment as the verdict was read.
As the senator exited the packed courtroom, his wife, Catherine, kissed him on the cheek.
"It's not over yet," he told her. She responded: "You got that right."
Stevens' lawyers, whose firm is well known for not speaking to the news media, exited the
courthouse with the senator, who sped off in a van without saying anything.
Several hours after the verdict, Stevens issued a defiant statement maintaining his innocence. He
accused prosecutors of misconduct and announced his intention to remain a U.S. Senate
candidate on the Nov. 4 ballot.
"I am obviously disappointed in the verdict but not surprised given the repeated instances of
prosecutorial misconduct in this case," Stevens said. "I will fight this unjust verdict with every
ounce of energy I have."
For the first time in his career, Stevens faces a competitive re-election fight, against Democratic
Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. The Alaska Democratic Party called for Stevens to resign, but
Begich was more measured.
"This past year has been a difficult time for Alaskans, but our people are strong and resilient and
I believe that we will be able to move forward together to address the critical challenges that face
Alaska," Begich said in a statement.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, issued a statement keeping
in line with the anti-corruption rhetoric that figures in her campaign trial stump speeches.
"This is a sad day for Alaska and for Senator Stevens and his family," Palin said. "The verdict
shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company that was allowed to
control too much of our state. That control was part of the culture of corruption I was elected to
fight. And that fight must always move forward regardless of party or seniority or even past
service."
Stevens, who was indicted in late July, sought an early trial date, gambling that he'd face voters
as an innocent man. Even without the conviction, though, in order to re-elect Stevens, voters
would have to overlook four weeks of testimony that exposed some of the senator's innermost
financial and personal secrets.
The guilty verdict will complicate not only his re-election bid but also the remainder of his term
in the Senate. His colleagues have the option -- never exercised -- of voting to expel him before
his term ends in January. Four U.S. senators have been convicted of crimes, historians note, but
not one has received a presidential pardon.
The rules of succession are complicated in Alaska, where courts haven't ruled on a referendum
that prohibits the governor from appointing a senator if the office is vacant. That referendum was
enacted after then-Gov. Frank Murkowski appointed his daughter, Lisa Murkowski, to the U.S.
Senate seat he vacated.
The corruption trial, which began Sept. 22, featured 24 government witnesses and 28 defense
witnesses. Jurors began their deliberations Wednesday afternoon, but halted Friday morning
when one of the juror's left town for her father's funeral. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan
appointed an alternate juror Monday morning, and by 4 p.m., the panel had reached a verdict.
Stevens took the stand in his own defense, a tactic that appeared to hurt him after prosecutors
painted him as a disagreeable and mean-spirited man who considered himself above the law.
"This has been a long and hard fought trial," said the head of the Justice Department's criminal
division, Matthew Friedrich, in a press conference outside the courthouse after the trial. "The
Department is proud of this team not only for this trial but for the investigation which led to it.
"This investigation continues, as does our commitment to holding elected officials accountable
when they violate our laws."
The senator's defense rested on the theory that he and his wife had paid all the bills they'd
received in connection with the renovations of their home in Girdwood.
Catherine Stevens also took the stand, providing contradictory testimony that may have
persuaded the jurors that their conflicting stories meant that they were lying or covering up a
crime.
The jurors had to weigh the husband and wife testimony against that of Allen, who pleaded
guilty to bribing state lawmakers in Alaska in an unrelated case. Allen agreed to testify in
Stevens' trial and two others in exchange for leniency in his own sentencing and the promise that
prosecutors wouldn't charge his children in the corruption investigation.
The jury also heard from a parade of tradesmen who had nothing to gain by their testimony.
Almost daily for the first two weeks of the trial, the government introduced evidence showing
that Veco employees -- particularly electricians and a plumber -- were on the job daily.
Prosecutors also showed that the project's two supervisors were being paid by Veco and that the
company provided much of the materials for the renovation and all the later additions and some
repairs and furnishings. Stevens' lawyers never presented evidence in the case that Stevens or his
wife ever paid Veco a penny for the work.
The Justice Department has charged 11 people in connection with its corruption probe in Alaska,
including five former and current state legislators in Alaska. Other than Stevens, five pleaded
guilty, three were convicted by juries in Alaska and two await trial.
Judge Sullivan has not yet set a date for sentencing and first must hear a series of post-trial
motions, such as one from Stevens seeking a new trial. Each of the seven felony counts carries a
sentence of up to five years in prison.
http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/stevens/story/569134.html
(The Politico) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) just issued this statement on today's
corruption conviction for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska):
Reid has served with Stevens on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and he told his GOP
colleague, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, that he appreciated his friendship.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/27/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4550860.shtml
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hoB2kfl8Lk2SYE18XiScAbEKgFEQ
Stevens, 84, was convicted on all seven counts of making false statements on mandatory
financial disclosure forms he filed between 1999 and 2006, a court source told AFP.
The Alaska senate seat, long considered safely Republican, now seems vulnerable: Democrats
are banking on big gains in the Senate in the November 4 election, where five or six Republican
seats in the 100 strong-chamber are likely to change hands.
The Democrats are hoping to hit the magic 60 seat-barrier needed to pass major legislation and
break Republican filibuster legislation delaying tactics. They currently enjoy a 51-49 edge in the
100-seat Senate, with the help of two independents.
In recent opinion polls Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the US Senate, trailed his
Democratic challenger, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, by less than one percentage point.
Stevens was found guilty of accepting gifts from a company known as VECO, an Alaska-based
firm which provides oil field support, between 1999 and 2006.
He was convicted of receiving more than 250,000 dollars worth of gifts, mainly in material and
labor that doubled the size of one of his homes.
Two VECO executives pleaded guilty last year to bribing government officials, including an
unnamed state senator. Stevens was unrepentant.
"This verdict is the result of the unconscionable manner in which the Justice Department lawyers
conducted this trial," the senator said in a statement, decrying alleged "repeated instances of
prosecutorial misconduct."
Said Stevens: "I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have. I am innocent."
He called on Alaskans and his Senate colleagues to "stand with me as I pursue my rights,"
adding: "I remain a candidate for the United States Senate."
Stevens, who has served in the US Senate since December 1968, is one of the body's most
powerful Republicans, with seats on the Appropriations, Defense, and other committees. He has
temporarily relinquished his committee vice chairmanships.
The charges normally carry a sentence of several years in prison, but Stevens is likely to leniency
due to his age.
Judge Emmet Sullivan, who presided in the case, has set a February 26 hearing, the source said.
The corruption trial began on September 22 and saw 24 government witnesses and 28 defense
witnesses testify in court. Stevens testified in his own defense. Stevens and his team of lawyers
made no statement as they left the courthouse.
Stevens, who has all along claimed his innocence, has been a strong advocate of opening up
Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
A felony conviction does not automatically bar Stevens from serving in the senate.
If he is re-elected he could be expelled only with a two-third vote of his colleagues, according to
US Senate rules.
Then the governor of Alaska -- Republican Sarah Palin, who also is her party's nominee for vice
president -- would appoint a successor.
In a statement, Palin said that the verdict "shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil
service company that was allowed to control too much of our state.
"That control was part of the culture of corruption I was elected to fight," Palin said. "And that
fight must always move forward regardless of party or seniority or even past service."
As Alaska governor "I will carefully monitor this situation and take any appropriate action as
needed.
In the meantime, I ask the people of Alaska to join me in respecting the workings of our judicial
system. I'm confident Senator Stevens will do what is right for the people of Alaska," Palin said.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hoB2kfl8Lk2SYE18XiScAbEKgFEQ
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/27/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4550811.shtml
(The Politico) Others may be offering lukewarm support to Ted Stevens – but Alaska Sen. Lisa
Murkowski just issued a strong statement in support of her convicted colleague.
“Given today’s verdict, it’s a sad day indeed for Sen. Stevens and his family as well as for
Alaska,” Murkowski said. “Ted Stevens is an honorable, hard-working Alaskan who has served
our state well for as long as we have been a state. It was clear that the prosecution blundered in
several instances. Given these gaffes, which raised the ire of U.S. District Court Judge Emmet
Sullivan on several occasions, Sen. Stevens has announced that he will appeal the verdict. I look
forward to having justice served.”
“Ted has asked for Alaskans and his Senate colleagues to stand with him as he pursues his legal
rights. He stood with Alaskans for 40 years, and I plan to continue to stand with him.”
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/27/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4550811.shtml
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), it turns out, was prescient. Here's what he said two years ago in a
secretly recorded phone conversation with Bill Allen, his longtime friend (whom he now may
wish he had never met): "The worst that can happen to us is we run up a bunch of legal fees, and
might lose and we might have to pay a fine, might have to serve some time in jail. I hope to
Christ it never gets to that.... I don't think we have done anything wrong."
A federal jury thought otherwise, however, and Stevens -- the Senate's longest-serving
Republican -- was convicted on seven charges of making false statements on Senate disclosure
documents. Technically, Stevens accepted gifts from Allen and others and failed to report them.
The word "gifts" is somewhat mild; Allen renovated Stevens' house, filled it with furniture and
other comforts, gave him a new roof, fixed his boiler, and on and on and on. The verdict comes
as Stevens prepares to face voters Tuesday in a bid for reelection. It was Stevens who pushed to
have the trial before the election, not federal prosecutors -- or Stevens's Democratic opponent,
Mark Begich, who must feel as if he received a "gift" today.
Stevens was one of the lords of the Senate, a czar of earmarks who brought home federal largess
to his state by the boatload and never apologized for it. He could be famously prickly and
showed that side of his personality at his trial, when he shot back retorts at prosecutors as if he
were in the midst of a floor debate. Asked about a chair that Allen had given him, Stevens
responded: "He bought that chair as a gift, but I refused it as a gift. He put it there and said it was
my chair. I told him I would not accept it as a gift. We have lots of things in our house that don't
belong to us."
One thing was missing from the charges, though: An alleged quid pro quo. Prosecutors didn't
accuse Stevens of doing any specific favors for Allen or his oil services company, VECO Corp.,
in return for the gifts.
They just accused Stevens of not reporting the gifts. What Stevens did was wrong, and now both
he and his party will pay for it -- his conviction makes it more likely that Begich will win, which
would increase the Democrats' chances of building a veto-proof, 60-vote majority in the Senate.
Prosecutors were sloppy enough in presenting their case that Stevens likely has avenues for
appeal, though of course any reversal would come too late to affect his political fortunes.
Stevens's real crime was arrogance -- he assumed that rules made for mere mortals didn't apply
to him. This is Washington: That's not an unfamiliar story.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/10/stevens_the_soothsayer.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
REPRINTS
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By NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: October 27, 2008
Hyungwon Kang/Reuters
Senator Ted Stevens left court in Washington after the guilty verdict.
Multimedia
Indictments of Lawmakers
Related
The Lede: 'Guilty' Isn't Always Political Death (October 27, 2008)
Times Topics: Ted Stevens
U.S. v. Stevens: Indictment and Trial Exhibits
The jury of District of Columbia residents convicted Mr. Stevens, 84, on all
seven felony counts he faced in connection with charges that he knowingly
failed to list on Senate disclosure forms the receipt of some $250,000 in
gifts and services used to renovate his home in Girdwood, Alaska.
In a statement issued after he had left the courthouse, Mr. Stevens was
defiant, urging Alaskans to re-elect him to a seventh full term next week.
The verdict comes a week before a second jury of sorts, the voters of Alaska,
will decide whether to return him to the Senate or elect his Democratic
opponent, Mayor Mark Begich of Anchorage. After Mr. Stevens’s
indictment in July, he asked for a quick trial so he might clear his name
before Election Day.
If Mr. Stevens loses his seat, the trial’s implications could be felt on a broad
political scale, helping Democrats in their drive to win enough seats in the
Senate to give them a filibuster-proof majority of at least 60 votes. Within
an hour of the verdict’s becoming public, Democrats in Senate races around
the country immediately sought to make the conviction an issue for their
opponents, demanding that those who had received money from Mr.
Stevens, who was generous with contributions to his colleagues, return it.
If Mr. Stevens wins and insists on keeping his seat, his fate will be in the
hands of his Senate colleagues. A senator can be expelled only by a two-
thirds vote of the entire Senate, so a conviction does not automatically cost
a lawmaker his seat. Since 1789, only 15 senators have been expelled, most
for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War, the Senate Web site
states.
Ms. Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, issued a statement
late Monday, saying she was “confident that Senator Stevens will do what’s
right for the people of Alaska.”
Governor Palin did not specify what that was. She did ask that the verdict
be respected, saying that it “shines a light on the corrupting influence of the
big oil service company that was allowed to control too much of our state. It
was part of the culture of corruption I was elected to fight. And that fight
must always move forward regardless of party or seniority or even past
service.”
The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, said: “This verdict is a personal
tragedy for our colleague Ted Stevens, but it is an
important reminder that no man is above the law.
Senator Stevens must now respect the outcome of the
judicial process and the dignity of the United States
Senate.”
In addition to his expected appeal, his supporters are also likely to explore
the possibility of obtaining a pardon, or some form of executive clemency
like a commutation of any sentence, from President Bush, a fellow
Republican, before he leaves office.
The verdict came after more than three weeks of testimony, the highlight of
which was Mr. Stevens’s taking the calculated risk of testifying in his own
defense.
Bob Persons, a friend and restaurant owner who had bought it from a
Brookstone store and sent it to the Stevenses’ Washington home. It was a
loan, Mr. Stevens testified, even though it had remained in his Washington
home for more than seven years and he once wrote to Mr. Persons that he
enjoyed using it and even fell asleep in it.
Moreover, Mr. Stevens asserted that his wife of 28 years, Catherine, was
assigned to oversee the remaking of the Alaska home from a simple A-
frame cabin to a grander, two-story residence fitted with two decks, a new
garage and amenities like a whirlpool, a steam room and an expensive gas
grill.
The verdict came relatively swiftly. The jury began deliberating last week.
But it was obliged to start all over Monday morning when a juror was
replaced by an alternate because of the death of a family member. In
midafternoon, jurors sent a note saying they had finished their work.
William Yardley contributed reporting from Seattle, and Carl Hulse from
Washington.
More Articles in Washington »A version of this article appeared in print on October 28, 2008,
on page
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/washington/28stevens.html?_r=1&th=&oref=slogin&emc=
th&pagewanted=all
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-stevens28-
2008oct28,0,2189325.story
From the Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Washington — In a stunning verdict that imperils the tenure of the
Stevens, 84, reacted pugnaciously, attacking the Justice Department and vowing to
continue campaigning for reelection to his seventh term next Tuesday.
"I am obviously disappointed in the verdict but not surprised given the repeated
instances of prosecutorial misconduct in this case," he said in a prepared statement.
"I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have." He asked
Alaskans and his Senate colleagues to "stand with me as I pursue my rights."
Stevens has managed to remain neck and neck with Anchorage Mayor Mark
Begich since the trial began, despite being unable to campaign in person. But
political analysts have said from the beginning that all bets would be off were
Stevens to be convicted.
Senate rules do not bar convicted felons from serving, and it would take a two-
thirds vote to expel Stevens if he were reelected. The chamber has not expelled
anyone in more than a century. If Stevens is forced to step down, a special election
would be held to determine his replacement.
"Ted Stevens served his constituents for over 40 years, and I am disappointed to
see his career end in disgrace," said Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, who heads the
Senate Republicans' campaign committee. "Sen. Stevens had his day in court and
the jury found he violated the public's trust -- as a result he is properly being held
accountable. This is a reminder that no one is above the law."
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, also appeared
to distance herself from her home-state lawmaker, using the conviction as an
opportunity to trumpet her own anti-corruption credentials.
Palin concluded: "I'm confident Sen. Stevens will do what's right for the people of
Alaska."
The verdict was a swift and devastating fall from grace for Stevens, one of the
most powerful men in Washington, who once stood third in line to the presidency.
Stevens took the stand in his own defense in an attempt to rebut the charges. He
took the position that he did not consider the things he got from Allen, including a
high-end gas barbecue grill and an elaborate outdoor lighting display, to be gifts,
but rather unwanted indulgences. As for the home improvement bills, he said that
his wife was in charge of that and that she paid every bill she ever received.
"The last piece of proof that the jurors were left with was a pretty withering cross-
examination of Sen. Stevens by the government," said Joshua Berman, a
Washington lawyer who once worked in the Justice Department public integrity
unit that prosecuted Stevens. The jury also heard telephone conversations, secretly
recorded by the FBI, including one in which Stevens openly discussed the
possibility that he and Allen "might have to serve a little time in jail."
Stevens was convicted on seven counts of making false statements under federal
law by failing to disclose the gifts and improvements on his annual Senate
financial disclosure form.
is not expected to get anywhere near that term. Some experts said there was a
chance he could get probation, given his age, years of public service and other
factors.
He remains free until sentencing, which is expected to occur early next year.
The verdict was reached the same day that a reconstituted jury began deliberations
anew after one of the 12 panelists was replaced over the weekend because of a
family emergency.
Stevens sought "to hide from the public, from his constituents, that he received
hundreds of thousands of dollars in freebies," Matthew Friedrich, acting head of
the Justice Department criminal division, said on the courthouse steps after the
verdict. He said an investigation into political corruption in Alaska was continuing;
among those still believed to be under investigation are Stevens' son, Ben, a former
Alaska lawmaker.
The prosecutors in the case also face an internal Justice Department investigation
after being sanctioned by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan for withholding
documents from the defense.
Democratic Party leaders in the state immediately called on the veteran senator to
resign. "He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he did it anyway and lied to
Alaskans about it," Alaska party chairwoman Patti Higgins said in a statement.
Party leaders also said any decision by Stevens to appeal the verdict could "put
himself and Alaska under a cloud of uncertainty for another 18 months," while the
state's needs "will go unmet in Washington."
State Republican Party officials said they would urge Stevens to stay the course
and attempt to win reelection.
"The majority of Alaskans are conservative, they have strong family values and
very strong faith in their convictions," said Alaska GOP spokesman McHugh
Pierre, "and if those voters want a like-minded person representing them in the
U.S. Senate, they need to vote for Sen. Ted Stevens."
rick.schmitt@latimes.com
Times staff writers Kim Murphy contributed from Seattle and Richard Simon from
Washington.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-stevens28-2008oct28,0,2189325.story
Watch how the trial unfolded » Watch Alaskans sound off on Stevens »
Watch CNN's Kelli Arena explain the verdict » Watch the prosecutor talks
about 'freebies' given to Sen. Stevens. »
Last week, the judge dealt with another juror issue after the panel sent him a note
Thursday accusing juror No. 9 of "violent outbursts" and other misconduct. They asked
that she be dismissed, but Sullivan gave what he called a "pep talk" to the 12 and told
them to resume their deliberations.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens vowed to fight his Monday
conviction on federal corruption charges, a verdict he attributed to "repeated instances
of prosecutorial misconduct."
Sen. Ted Stevens leaves federal court Monday as the jury deliberated in his corruption trial.
"I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have," the 84-year-old
Stevens, the Senate's longest-serving Republican, said in a written statement after the
jury came back Monday afternoon. "I am innocent."
Stevens was convicted of seven counts of making false statements on Senate ethics
forms to hide hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and work on his Alaska home
from an oilfield contractor at the center of a corruption investigation in the state.
"This verdict is the result of the unconscionable manner in which the Justice Department
lawyers conducted this trial," he said. Watch how the trial unfolded »
The senator's lawyers twice sought to have the charges thrown out during the month-
long trial, accusing prosecutors of hiding evidence favorable to the defense. U.S. District
Judge Emmet Sullivan rejected those efforts, but blasted prosecutors for "hiding the
ball."
"I ask that Alaskans and my Senate colleagues stand with me as I pursue my rights,"
Stevens said. He vowed to get the trial's results overturned and added, "I remain a
candidate for the United States Senate." Watch Alaskans sound off on Stevens »
The verdict came days before he is to face voters in a neck-and-neck re-election bid
against his Democratic challenger, Mark Begich. Stevens hopes to retain the seat he
has held since 1968.
A poll by Ivan Moore Research conducted October 17-19 found Begich slightly leading
the race 46-45, within the poll's margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.4 percentage points.
The longest-serving Republican senator in history, Stevens becomes the first senator to
be convicted of a felony since 1981.
Stevens faces a maximum sentence of up to to 35 years in prison -- five years for each
of the seven counts Watch CNN's Kelli Arena explain the verdict »
Legal experts note the judge has the discretion to give Stevens as little as no jail time
and probation when he is sentenced.
He sat expressionless as the seven verdicts were read out at the end of his trial, less
than a day after the jury began deliberations from scratch because of a change in jurors.
After the second guilty verdict was read, Stevens' lead defense attorney, Brendan
Sullivan, patted his back, leaving his hand there.
As Stevens left the defense area, he and his wife exchanged a kiss on the cheek.
Stevens said: "It's not over yet." Stevens' defense team said they will move for a new
trial.
"This is a sad day for Alaska and a sad day for Sen. Stevens and his family," Alaska
Gov. and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said after the verdict.
"The verdict shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company up
there in Alaska that was allowed to control too much of our state. And that control was
part of the culture of corruption that I was elected to fight, and that fight must always
move forward regardless of party affiliation or seniority or even past service," she said.
"This company was not a charity," he said, saying it solicited Stevens for help in
Washington at the same time it was transforming Stevens' single-story A-frame Alaska
house into a two-story structure with a deck, new gas grill and other accouterments.
Judge Emmet Sullivan has scheduled a hearing on any pending motions for February
25.
The charges against Stevens related to renovations on his family home in Girdwood,
Alaska. The remodeling was done by his longtime friend, Bill Allen, and Allen's oil
industry services company, VECO Corp.
Stevens' defense said Allen, the senator's friend, had quashed bills without the
senator's knowledge. Allen testified that he had done so because he "liked Ted."
The defense said Stevens had paid the bills he received, thinking they covered the full
cost of renovating the house in Girdwood, Alaska.
Allen, the government's star witness, earlier pleaded guilty to trying to bribe a number of
Alaska state lawmakers, not including Stevens. He is awaiting sentencing.
The jury began deliberations at noon Wednesday, but started anew Monday morning
when an alternate replaced a juror who left town abruptly last week because of the
death of her father.
The verdict comes after jurors spotted a discrepancy Monday between the
government's indictment and a key piece of evidence. The judge declined to throw out
the related charge against Stevens
The jury sent out a note on the issue, prompting a debate between defense and
prosecution attorneys about what instructions Sullivan should send the jury.
Prosecutors said the error was simply a "typo" on the indictment, and that other charges
and evidence covered Steven's alleged failure to disclose the home renovations at issue
in the case.
Stevens' defense said the judge should toss out the count that no longer matched the
evidence.
The juror who left last week was Juror No. 4, a paralegal in her 40s. She told a U.S.
marshal that she had to leave the state for a family emergency after the jury was
dismissed Thursday.
Judge Sullivan dismissed the jury Friday morning after the woman left for California,
hoping to resume with her on the panel as soon as possible.
Since then, court officials made several unsuccessful attempts to reach the woman.
Defense attorneys for Stevens, who was in court Sunday, had asked the judge to put
off deliberations another day as they awaited the return of the juror, arguing against
inserting an alternate in the middle of the process.
Last week, the judge dealt with another juror issue after the panel sent him a note
Thursday accusing juror No. 9 of "violent outbursts" and other misconduct. They asked
that she be dismissed, but Sullivan gave what he called a "pep talk" to the 12 and told
them to resume their deliberations
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