Alaska Senator Ted Stevens: Guilty
[Guest post by DRJ]
An Alaska A Washington DC federal jury found Senator Ted Stevens guilty on all counts for lying on his financial disclosure forms:
“Jurors found that Stevens willfully filed false financial disclosure forms that hid such gifts as the renovations that doubled his home in size. 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, was forced to sell it last year.”
The article states Stevens will be sentenced in late January and could receive 5 years on each of 7 counts, but notes that “under federal sentencing guidelines, he is likely to receive much less prison time, if any.”
Stevens is seeking re-election to his Senate seat and faces Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, a Democrat. I think we can chalk this one up for the Democrats.
H/T Another Drew.
— DRJ
A perfect argument in favor of term limits — although Murtha is an even better example.
Icy Truth (1468e4) — 10/27/2008 @ 1:46 pmFrankly, I think the Dems deserve to have this one… Serves us right for not forcing his ass off the ballot to begin with…
Scott Jacobs (a1c284) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:01 pmIf Ted wins and John & Sarah lose, Sarah should fill the seat herself when Ted has to resign. 4 years (2009 – 2012) in the Senate is enough qualifications to become President, right?
Paul (e02cb1) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:02 pmI disagree!
Another Drew (cdf426) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:09 pmIf Ted pulls a rabbit out of the hat and wins, when he is forced to resign, the Governor should appoint the strongest possible politician that reflects her view of how to deal with the problems facing Alaska.
We have already had the self-perpetuating appointment of Lisa Murkowski by her father as he left the Senate to become Governor. WADR, she hasn’t shown herself to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, and it was a huge scandal at the time, and not of inconsiderable importance in his loss to Sarah Palin (who?) in his attempt at re-election.
Governors are the traditional route to the Presidency, much more than Senators (this will be only the third time in U.S. history that a sitting Senator is elected President.
Good riddance. Countdown until trolls come by and say he is representative of all Republicans …
JD (5b4781) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:25 pmFunny thing.
That’s the supposedly politicized Bush Justice Department at work again.
Same one that prosecuted Duke Cunningham and Dusty Fargo.
And Abramhoff.
Will Obama, IF elected, keep Patrick Fitzgerald as US Attorney for the ND Ill.?
WLS Shipwrecked (26b1e5) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:41 pmGood. Now what about Sen. Dodd accepting a discount mortgage and Con. Rangel living in combined rent controlled apartments in NYC? These are substantial undeclared donations of goods, so let’s indict these people also. I am sure there are many examples of this on both sides of the aisle.
Dan (a5779b) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:42 pmNow I think we need to investigate the connection between Sarah Palin and this convicted criminal. She’s probably been in his living room, palling about with him.
Adrian B. (464126) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:42 pmComment by Adrian B. — 10/27/2008 @ 2:42 pm
Since the MSM has found that any inquiry into Obama’s association with Ayers is off-limits, I would assume that you would also consider any inquiry re the relationship of Gov. Palin to Sen. Stevens also off-limits?
Another Drew (cdf426) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:49 pmRedState is endorsing Begich. We really, really need to clean our house of the Stevens pols. Dems of course won’t clean their house – you have to have integrity based on standards and principles and they have none of those, plus their entire house is terminally ill.
I really hope Stevens does time.
Peg C. (48175e) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:52 pmAnother Drew — Adrian B’s comment was missing a sarc/ tag.
Icy Truth (1468e4) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:52 pmMy apologies to Adrian B.
However, I think the statement stands by itself.
Another Drew (cdf426) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:58 pmThe closer analogy with be with Rezko, if Palin had traded favors for cash with Stevens, which it doesn’t appear she has. Stevens hasn’t killed anyone or blown anything up; he isn’t a domestic terrorist, just a crooked dirtbag.
Pablo (99243e) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:58 pmPeg C – Gov. Palin was doing a good job at getting rid of the Stevens crew at the ballot box.
JD (5b4781) — 10/27/2008 @ 2:58 pmGot to appreciate how liberals twist Palin’s record and associates. According to some libs I’ve read Sarah was a$$hole buddies with the Ak GOP establishment, she’s far more a socialist than Obama because she negotiated a deal with oil companies to give money to Alaskan residents and at the same time is in bed with Big Oil.
Mr. is in the same corrupt/pork dealing company as Murtha, ex-KKK-grand kleagle Byrd and others in Congress with a sense of entitlement. And we get stuck with a Senator as Potus one way or another.
madmax333 (0c6cfc) — 10/27/2008 @ 3:13 pmWhat’s your take on this video of Palin and Stevens campaigning together, mad?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nTX-oJUCaU
snuffles (677ec2) — 10/27/2008 @ 3:17 pmWhy should this go Dem?
Since Stevens will have to resign (or be tossed out by self-righteous Democrats), this means that Alaskans get to vote for a Republican-to-be-named-later, presumably by Sarah Palin (either way).
They elected her, and support her, for a reason. She ought to run a “vote for the dead guy” commercial.
Kevin (805c5b) — 10/27/2008 @ 3:20 pmgot to help you Repugs get the facts straight: “Alaska jury”? “A federal jury of eight women and four men from the District of Columbia found that the 84-year-old Mr. Stevens, who has represented Alaska in the Senate for more than 40 years, knowingly failed to list on Senate disclosure forms the receipt of several gifts and tens of thousands of dollars worth of remodeling work on his home in Girdwood, Alaska.” nytimes
the Alaskan’s will have the ballot box for another jury perhaps. And Sarah Palin’s polls are down there too.
datadave (891f03) — 10/27/2008 @ 3:29 pmdatadave: “Alaska jury”?
That was my error. Thanks for the correction.
DRJ (cb68f2) — 10/27/2008 @ 3:31 pmWhich means that her positives are down from the previously – polled 80%+ approval rating. Wow, I bet she’s just tanking right about now.
Fool.
Dmac (e30284) — 10/27/2008 @ 3:34 pmI’d bet even money he’s gonna be on Bush’s end of term pardon list.
Aplomb (b6fba6) — 10/27/2008 @ 4:15 pmComment by Aplomb — 10/27/2008 @ 4:15 pm
I’ll take that bet for a C-note!
Another Drew (cdf426) — 10/27/2008 @ 4:46 pmWLS–
It’s a non-political DoJ. Remember that Gonzoles tried to “politicize” the DoJ by hiring Republicans and was stopped by right-thinking people. So, it has the same folks in it that Janet reno hired, unpolitical all.
Kevin (805c5b) — 10/27/2008 @ 4:51 pmComment by Kevin — 10/27/2008 @ 4:51 pm
Good thing a severe case of tongue-in-cheek doesn’t impede typing skills.
Another Drew (cdf426) — 10/27/2008 @ 4:53 pmTed Stevens was a crook and a dummy
It isn’t representative of his entire party. Just him.
Obligatory: .. and maybe Sarah Palin
/ come on, you know I had to put that last part in.
i like america (d2f951) — 10/27/2008 @ 5:45 pmComment by i like america — 10/27/2008 @ 5:45 pm
…and your stature is diminished for it.
Another Drew (cdf426) — 10/27/2008 @ 6:30 pmWill someone please tally the lifetime pork accumualted by Senator Ted Stevens? This kind of thing gives Republicans a bad name.
Ron Wilcox (bd0307) — 10/27/2008 @ 10:55 pmExactly why they lost control of the Congress in ’06.
Another Drew (cdf426) — 10/27/2008 @ 11:13 pmEarmarks and corruption – Steven’s typified both.
There is something else to know about Begich. He has consistently sold out the people of Alaska for his own political gain.
Several years ago the Mayor of Anchorage at the time recognized that the city-owned telephone utility was at the top of its value. He negotiated a sale for $450 million. Begich was on the Assembly. He made a deal with the IBEW union in order to screw the taxpayers to protect union featherbedding. He did it for the long term campaign contributions is would get him. He convinced the Assembly to oppose the sale through a massively dishonest campaign, and wrote a preposterous ballet initiative about “running the phone company as a business.” It threw off $9 million a year. 2-stinking percent. We could have done better in a damn checking account.
A few years later the city sold the utility to the same bidder for $270 million. Typical Begich. The taxpayers were paying his wages but he was selling us out to buy favors from the union. We got screwed out of $180 million. That is real money in a town the size of Anchorage.
Many of us will vote for Stevens because we know Begich, too. If you are not from Alaska, don’t be too quick to judge. There is a method in our madness. At worst, we get a special election with another chance to keep Begich out of the Senate.
jc (01bedc) — 10/28/2008 @ 12:34 amI would take that bet in a heartbeat. W ain’t nothing like Bubba.
JD (5b4781) — 10/28/2008 @ 5:28 am10-28-08
Beijing, China
Unassociated Fictional Press
The Government of The Peoples Republic of China has unanimously endorsed McCain/Palin for President of the United States.
“They are our kind of leaders!” says a Government spokesperson. “They understand that business and the government should be in control,not the silly workers, or ‘people’ as they sometimes call themselves.Also, we understand the Republic concept. It is Democracy we find distasteful.”
A leading General, who wished to remain anonymous, had this to say about President McCain: “We planted many post-hypnotic suggestions
in our former P.O.W.’s mind and we are beside ourselves with anticipation at having the opportunity to trigger them and have control
of the white house without even having to wage a war…”
“And if that fails,” a second anonymous official pipes in “it’s not like George W. Bush did not already sell it to us anyway.”
P.S. We sure hope that Sarah Palin and her corrupt comrade Ted Stevens dream of a free Alaska comes true someday so we can do serious business.
JOE THE PLUMBER (2a5189) — 10/28/2008 @ 8:52 amabby hoffman, william ayers tried to levitate the pentagon in the sixties not blow it up ..just another lie the right wing has come up with.like stevens they lie to see just how much you republicans will beleive and how much they can get away with. pro lifers should be proud of ayers supposedly blowing up abortion clinics..and this stupid socialist rant when alaskans are paid mineral rights for living there making oil prices even higher..yep i guess will find those weapons of mass destruction any day now…you betcha
fkim (7bfebe) — 10/28/2008 @ 9:40 amComment by fkim — 10/28/2008 @ 9:40 am
Words fail me;
Another Drew (c8adc2) — 10/28/2008 @ 9:48 amand they don’t seem to do you any favors either.
AD, your troll-fu is weak.
i like america (d2f951) — 10/29/2008 @ 4:25 pm