Republican Senior Senator From Alaska Ted Stevens-- Guilty On All Charges

Ted and Sarah Will Never Stop Fighting To Keep Alaska Free Of Ethics

A few days ago the GOP was saying that if Stevens was just convicted on a few of the 7 charges it would help his re-election bid. I'm sure they'll come up with some way to explain how being convicted on every one of the charges will also help his re-election bid. Polling says otherwise though and it looks like the red state of Alaska, home of Sarah Palin, will be throwing out convicted felon Ted Stevens and as yet unindicted Congressman Don Young.

This afternoon's Hill has all the sordid details. "The verdict was reached after the jury deliberated since Wednesday and found the 84-year-old senator guilty of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts from Bill Allen, the former head of Veco Corp., and other friends."

Stevens appeared expressionless, holding his stomach while the verdict was read. The courtroom was silent as the powerful Republican's fate was read to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Judge Emmet G. Sullivan deferred sentencing until after Feb. 23, when a hearing is scheduled on further motions. Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each count.

The jury did not seem to buy the explanation from Stevens that Allen showered him with gifts he didn't want and was unaware of, and that he believed the $160,000 he gave to another contractor covered all costs for the home renovations.

Stevens could get-- if he weren't a rich, powerful white guy-- 35 years in prison. He's not likely to ever serve a day in jail. Although sentencing isn't until after Bush leaves the White House, it is unlikely that Bush won't pardon him before that. What's a little bribery and perjury between old comrades? My favorite part of this is that the corrupt and contemptible Senate won't even consider expelling him-- or doing anything to him-- now that he is officially a convicted felon.

Despite being a convicted felon, he is not required to drop out of the race or resign from the Senate. If he wins re-election, he can continue to hold his seat because there is no rule barring felons from serving in Congress. The Senate could vote to expel him on a two-thirds vote.

"Put this down: That will never happen-- ever, OK?" Stevens said in the weeks leading up to his trial. "I am not stepping down. I'm going to run through, and I'm going to win this election."

The Anchorage Daily News put the Stevens conviction into the context of an ongoing investigation into the criminal conspiracy of the entire Alaskan Republican Party. Among the crooked politicians already convicted are former Alaska House Speaker Pete Kott, the former chairman of the Special Committee on Oil and Gas, Vic Kohring, and former state Rep Tom Anderson. They will soon be joined by Congressman Don Young, who is probably even more guilty than Stevens, and Stevens crooked son Ben, as well as still-serving state Senator John Cowdery and ex-state Rep Bruce Weyhrauch.


UPDATE: EVEN FAR RIGHT GOP WEBSITES ARE ENDORSING BEGICH... AND BERKOWITZ!!

RedState usually provides a dependable look into what the Republican Party is up to. They're more a GOP propaganda outlet than an actual blog. Today, though, they broke with the Republican Party-- and with Sarah Palin, who is still supporting her pal/convicted felon Ted Stevens-- and has endorsed Mark Begich and Ethan Berkowitz, the Democratic opponent for Alaska's other most corrupt member of Congress, Rep. Don Young.

We stand at a perilous moment in American politics, with the real possibility that the Democrats could get to 60 votes in the Senate. This is no time for litmus tests of party loyalty, for abandoning our own. But we must make one exception: good conscience compels us to advise Alaskans to vote for Mark Begich, the Democrat mayor of Anchorage, for the U.S. Senate. And we also endorse Ethan Berkowitz for the at-large House seat in Alaska... Washington cannot too soon see the end of Stevens and Young.