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You are here: Home / Politics / Republican Stupidity / Stevens Guilty On All Seven Counts

Stevens Guilty On All Seven Counts

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CNN reporting that Republican Senator Ted Stevens was found guilty on every count. This election just got better.

Links when they become available.

*** Update ***

CNN:

A jury found U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska guilty Monday of all seven counts in his federal corruption trial.

The jury found Stevens guilty of “knowingly and willfully” scheming to conceal on Senate disclosure forms more than $250,000 in home renovations and other gifts from an Alaska-based oil industry contractor.

Stevens faces a maximum sentence of up to to 35 years in prison — five years for each of the seven counts.

Legal experts note the judge has the discretion to give Stevens as little as no jail time and probation when he is sentenced.

Of course, it goes without saying that this is excellent news for John McCain.

Reader Interactions

99Comments

  2. 2.

    Ron

    Smells like: Virginia, New Mexico, Colorado, New Hampshire, Oregon, North Carolina, Minnesota, AND Alaska.

    That still leaves three winnable races in GA, KY, and MS. I am hoping against hope in ME, TX, and NE.

  4. 4.

    r€nato

    Isn’t this the trial where they just put an alternate juror on the jury because one of the original jurors had a family medical emergency in California? That sure was a quick verdict.

    I’m thinking that Obama stopped on his way back from Hawaii (where he silenced his ill grandmother so she couldn’t talk about his birth certificate) and paid a visit to the juror’s family member.

  7. 7.

    Lee

    Don’t hold your breath for Texas. The Democrats in Texas are still a very weak bunch. As bad as Cornyn is (he is partially responsible for the Tulia debacle being as bad as it was) and as good a candidate as Noriega is, Cornyn will probably win.

    Additional the general populace in Texas has really bought into the whole ‘if you luv God and Country, you’ll vote Republican’ propagada.

  11. 11.

    gbear

    Isn’t this the trial where they just put an alternate juror on the jury because one of the original jurors had a family medical emergency in California? That sure was a quick verdict.

    Yes, one of the jurists left to attend a funeral and then wouldn’t answer the phone. Did she come back or did the new jurist get ‘up to speed’ that quickly? I wonder what happened to the abusive jurist who was yelling at everyone? Maybe she was the one who left for the funeral? Wow.

  17. 17.

    PaulW

    According to something I saw, I think on Daily Kos, the jury noticed discrepancies in the prosecution’s case that even the defense didn’t notice… and they still convicted the guy.

    Might I say… bwhahahahaaaa!

  21. 21.

    Zifnab

    @Lee: It’s not as bad as that. Still, there are some Texans who will vote Republican just because period end of story. And this is a big oil and gas state without any serious unions or populist civil groups. Texas was made a business Mecca back in the 90s and its dug in its heels ever since. The only thing that is generally trending the state blue again is the ever-present heavy handed incompetence of the current crop of politicians.

  24. 24.

    Joshau Norton

    I am freaking stunned. All the news and t.v. stuff I’ve seen about the trial was slanted towards him getting off because the prosecution was inept.

    Stunned I tell you…..

  25. 25.

    TenguPhule

    This is terrible news for the Democrats.

    Indeed, there is a severe danger of overdosing on popcorn and champane.

  27. 27.

    r€nato

    Yes, one of the jurists left to attend a funeral and then wouldn’t answer the phone.

    that speaks volumes! how convenient!

  28. 28.

    Punchy

    Christ on a Segway….Bush’s Pardon Pen is going to run out of ink by early January….better order refills, now.

    SERIOUS QUESTION — Since sentencing isnt until Jan 26, can Bush pardon someone BEFORE they’ve been sentenced? How about commuted? Kbyethx

  33. 33.

    DougJ

    Apparently liberal bias extends to the judiciary.

    I can’t help but wonder if the jury would have reached that verdict if Stevens had been white.

    And how can the press continue to ignore the Rezko story after this?

  34. 34.

    TenguPhule

    I can’t help but wonder if the jury would have reached that verdict if Stevens had been white.

    POTD!

  36. 36.

    binzinerator

    Another felon gooper.

    Man I tells ya, the goopers are really into disenfranchising people.

    Bet they didn’t think the biggest group shaping up to be denied the right to vote were the felons found amongst themselves!

  37. 37.

    TenguPhule

    SERIOUS QUESTION —Since sentencing isnt until Jan 26, can Bush pardon someone BEFORE they’ve been sentenced? How about commuted? Kbyethx

    Legally, no. Can’t pardon before the punishment is set.

    Not that it will stop Dear Leader…..

  38. 38.

    J.D. Rhoades

    Yes, one of the jurists left to attend a funeral and then wouldn’t answer the phone. Did she come back or did the new jurist get ‘up to speed’ that quickly?

    Shouldn’t take an alternate too much time to get up to speed. They sit through the whole trial like the rest.

  40. 40.

    Bey

    When prosecutor Brenda Morris asked Stevens about the chair, which was delivered to his home in 2001, he said it was a loan from a friend, while acknowledging that it remains in his home.

    “How is that not a gift?” Morris asked.

    “We have lots of things in our house that don’t belong to us, ma’am,”

    ——————
    That right there was a thing of beauty.

  41. 41.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    @Napoleon: This may be like the "terrorists" arrested (in Florida?) a couple of years ago. It wouldn’t surprise me if some dumbasses were discussing this, but, come on, a serious plot being cooked up on an internet chat room? Sure the ATF stepped in but this really was some wannabes shooting off their mouths. Any threat should be taken seriously, but this wasn’t a "serious" threat.

  42. 42.

    gbear

    @Napoleon:

    ATF says it has disrupted skinhead plot to assisinate Obama, kill 102 black people

    WOW. I wonder if those guys that were arrested by the Denver cops and then let loose by the USAG were a part of this? Were the skinheads dumb enough to keep planning?

    Nothing posted at TPM yet except that headline. No story.

    edit: Hmmm. This story breaks shortly after Obama has the huge rally in CO. It would be irresponsible not to speculate…

  45. 45.

    Punchy

    Legally, no. Can’t pardon before the punishment is set.

    Gracias. OK, next: article I read said sentencing delayed via request by the defense. Why would Stevens’ lawyer intentionally miss out on the Pardon Pen by delaying his Community Service sentence until after Bush leaves?

    Shorter: why did defense want sentencing post-Bush if that elimates pardon possibility?

    TIA again.

  46. 46.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    @Ron: Don’t hold your breath on NE. I just spent a weekend there and there was not a Obama sign to be seen. On the upside – hardly any McCain signs either. I’m sure they’ll vote in lock-step as they are known to do, but my guess is, enthusiasm is low and turn out will reflect that. But turn Blue? Not this year. :-(

  47. 47.

    Martin

    Any threat should be taken seriously, but this wasn’t a "serious" threat.

    Agreed. Nice to know that these guys live up to the degree of stupidity that I expect of them. Kill 100 people and then go after Obama. Great plan, guys. Maybe you could catch him walking home alone.

  49. 49.

    syl

    @TenguPhule-36

    You can pardon someone before a sentence is set. Ford pardoned Nixon, for example.

  51. 51.

    binzinerator

    @Punchy

    SERIOUS QUESTION —Since sentencing isnt until Jan 26, can Bush pardon someone BEFORE they’ve been sentenced? How about commuted? Kbyethx

    I’m no legal eagle, but….if Ford can give a blanket pardon to Nixon, why can’t — scuze me — why won’t Bush pardon Sen. "Intertoob" Stevens?

    "Can’t" suggests there might be some question in the mind of the president of the appropriateness and legality of a huge abuse of the presidential pardoning power, but since when did criminally gross abuse of presidential powers ever bother Dubya?

  52. 52.

    Jim Pharo

    It’s excellent news for Rudy Giuliani, John. It always is.

    And it’s always going to be tough for Democrats to figure out how to respond to this without seeming weak or mean. Or something…

  53. 53.

    Bey

    I can’t believe I’ve forgotten the details since I cut my teeth on Watergate, but was Nixon ever even charged? Wasn’t that a pre-emptive pardon?

    What are the rules for a post-conviction/pre-sentencing pardon?

  54. 54.

    Comrade Jake

    Jesus, I just checked the markets. Looks like another fucked-up day on Wall St. Breakneck crash in the afternoon to finish down another 2.4%.

    I blame Senator Stevens.

  55. 55.

    Polish the Guillotines

    Seems like as good a time as any for us all to remember the most important thing: that the internet is a Series of Tubes

    And the penitentiary is a series of bars.

  56. 56.

    Cris v.3.1

    @Bad Horse’s Filly: I just spent a weekend there and there was not a Obama sign to be seen. On the upside – hardly any McCain signs either.

    Yard signs are a pretty poor indicator of anything beyond the enthusiasm of a campaign’s supporters. My experience in western Montana has been, in general, that the Democrats are good at getting out yard signs and the Republicans are good at winning votes by 2-to-1 margins.

  58. 58.

    D-Chance.

    One less Republican in Congress; one less Wingnut Blogger on the Internet.

    A good day, indeed. May we have many more of them.

  59. 59.

    Cris v.3.1

    @gbear:
    Yeah, that’s what was so cool about that movie. It was all about how you don’t have to actually believe a defendant is innocent to declare him Not Guilty.

    Of course, it has nothing to do with Stevens’ case. But I’d rather watch Twelve Angry Men again than think about Senator Tubes anyway.

  60. 60.

    TenguPhule

    Ford pardoned Nixon, for example

    Oops. You’re right.

    It appears preemptive pardons are legal….fuck.

  61. 61.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    @Cris v.3.1: This is probably true, but since any mention of Obama in my inner family circle created a virtual riot, I decided not to venture out and question total strangers! I wanted to get back to Colorado in one piece. LOL!

  62. 62.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    ….just in time to be refreshed by a combined total of 150K Obama supporters taking to the streets of Denver and Fort Collins.

  65. 65.

    DougJ

    I hope they confiscate his Hulk Tie. Otherwise, there might be a pretty ugly scene.

    (Sorry if that was tasteless — I do hope that nothing like that happens.)

  66. 66.

    binzinerator

    A little tidbit from the WaPo:

    In the case of the chair, a friend testified he gave the Brookstone lounger to Stevens as a gift. But the senator sent him an email at the time saying the chair was just a loan. Stevens asserted on the witness stand that the lounger was only a loan, even though it has been in his basement for seven years.

    This must be becoming the favored gooper corruption dodge: "I don’t really own that, I’m just borrowing it for a little while. I’m going to give it back, honest!"

    Cue Palin and her $150,000 worth of clothes.

  67. 67.

    Jasper

    Who was the prosecutor. Is the guy a rare decent person in the Bush Justice Dept., or so incompetent that he couldn’t botch the prosecution enough to prevent a conviction?

  68. 68.

    Comrade Jake

    Ben Smith at Politico’s take on the repercussions:

    If life were fair, it would bit a boost for McCain, an old intramural Stevens foe and enemy of Stevens’ earmarks. But Palin’s mixed relationship with Stevens complicates that, as does the fact that much of what filters through will just be another Republican going down.

    Life, like facts, appears to have a liberal bias. Jesus.

  69. 69.

    Personal Designation

    I say a nominal fine and 5 years probation will be handed down.

    The indictment charged that he received some $250,000 worth from a longtime friend, Bill Allen, the owner of a huge oil-services construction company, as well as a sled dog, an expensive massage chair and other items from other friends.

    Mr. Stevens’ defense was largely built on the notion that many of the goods and services he received were unasked for, and were things for which he had no use. In the case of the massage chair, he testified that it was not a gift from Bob Persons, a friend and restaurant owner, but rather a loan — even though the chair has remained in his Washington home for more than seven years and has been used by the senator.

    I guess a hand out is a hand out after all.

  72. 72.

    jake 4 that 1

    This must be becoming the favored gooper corruption dodge: "I don’t really own that, I’m just borrowing it for a little while. I’m going to give it back, honest!"

    Doesn’t work that well with mistresses and people met in toilets.

  73. 73.

    binzinerator

    However, depending on how quickly he gets out, he may be able to vote for Sarah in 2012.

    Normally felons lose that right for the rest of their lives, just like they lose the right to own firearms. But it varies state-by-state, and apparently now in Alaska after you serve out your sentence you can vote again.

    But this part is just the killer for me: This change got made just last year and was passed by the Republican controlled Alaskan state senate:

    Currently ex-felons in Alaska can vote only upon completion of sentence, including probation and parole. A bill, SB 7, was introduced last session, which, in its original form, would have benefited some 6,000 formerly incarcerated persons by granting them the right to vote following their release from prison. The ACLU testified and lobbied in support of SB 7, which was passed by the Republican-controlled Senate State Affairs Committee early in the session.

    Fucking amazing. The fuckers spend years demanding we shitcan people with harsh minimum sentences ignoring any mitigating circumstances and are all gungho for draconian punitive stripping of rights.

    And then when the shit looks like it’s gonna hit the fan and they know a lot of goopers are going to soon become felons themselves, they change the laws and cut themselves some slack.

    It’s just not credible that the GOP joined with the ACLU to ease up on criminals. No not the assholes who have made careers out of scaring people about crime and trying to out-do each other in how tough they are on criminals.

  74. 74.

    dmak

    Who was the prosecutor. Is the guy a rare decent person in the Bush Justice Dept., or so incompetent that he couldn’t botch the prosecution enough to prevent a conviction?

    She – Brenda Morris – is a career prosecutor, started under Bush Sr. in ’91, hung around through Clinton, then started moving up the ranks more quickly under Bush, Jr.. So their screw ups may simply be due to understaffing, as she argued, or – more likely, I’d guess – political hiring of ideologically pure incompetent underlings.

    Entirely possible, though, that pressure was brought to lighten up on Sen. Tubes, by screw-up or otherwise, as was expressly done in the Tobacco trial initiated by Clinton but undermined, if not outright submarined, by the Bushie DOJ.

  76. 76.

    Gus

    Smells like: Virginia, New Mexico, Colorado, New Hampshire, Oregon, North Carolina, Minnesota

    I’d hold off on that Minnesota thing. There’s a bunch of wildcards there. A popular third party candidate, recent endorsements of Coleman by the "liberal" paper as well as the conservative one, and Norm’s pounding the airwaves with his "reasonable centrist" schtick. Also, Franken has run a so-so campaign. There’s gotta be video somewhere of Coleman saying "god bless America is a prayer, and George Bush is the answer to that prayer." I actually expect Norm to pull it out in the end.

  77. 77.

    binzinerator

    Sorry, my bad. From the website of those commie terrorist aiding and comforting America-haters, the ACLU:

    Virginia and Kentucky are now the only two states that permanently disfranchise all felony offenders unless the governor personally approves an individual application for restoration of rights or grants a pardon.

    It used to be it was permanent, which is what I remember. I should’ve asked the guy I met canvassing if it was permanent when he told me he couldn’t vote cause he was a felon. I guess he was still on parole.

  78. 78.

    gopher2b

    How long until Palin appoints herself Senator? Does voting for Stevens explicility become a vote for Palin? Its not like it would be tough to spread the news; there are only like 5465 people in Alaska. It would also be the ultimate Diva move to announce that plan while she’s still running for VP. BRILLIANT.

    Stay tuned.

  83. 83.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Yard signs are a pretty poor indicator of anything beyond the enthusiasm of a campaign’s supporters.

    Here in Virginia, the individual Obama offices I’ve been to are only giving out signs if you agree to come out and phonebank and/or canvass for them. It’s a shame because not everyone can do this and so we lose the opportunity to easily blanket our area in a sea of Obama/Biden blue and gain whatever intangible benefits that brings.

    Meanwhile, McCain/Palin signs are free and easily available so they’re fucking everywhere.

    Not sure of the wisdom of this move on the part of our local Obama offices. Not sure if it’s just local either.

  85. 85.

    Cris v.3.1

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Not sure of the wisdom of this move on the part of our local Obama offices. Not sure if it’s just local either.

    I’m equally unsure about the first, though if their attitude is "feet on the ground matter more than signs in the yard," I suspect they’ve got their priorities straight. Of course, this is a both-and, not an either-or.

    As for the latter, I’ve heard the local HQ here doesn’t have a lot of signs to give out. But if you walk in, and they know you’re a supporter, their priority is to turn you into a volunteer.

  89. 89.

    Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist

    And the penitentiary is a series of bars.

    Hee hee – but they take you there in a truck, so it’s really both.

  90. 90.

    Tsulagi

    RedState endorses Begich and Berkowitz.

    Damn, I wanted to see that on “The Democrats are always worse!” RedState just to see the heads exploding in the comments, but the site continues to be down. Maybe their server exploded.

    Anyway, what would prevent the AK state R-party making announcements and running ads asking their voters to write in another R in place of Stevens? Or for them to try really being slick and cute telling voters to still vote for him so Palin could appoint a replacement when Tubes goes to the big house to become some really sick Republican inmate’s GILF?

  92. 92.

    TenguPhule

    @TenguPhule: Two words "Richard Nixon".

    Yep, I was wrong.

    Preemptive pardons exist.

    What a gently caressed up world.

  93. 93.

    Comrade Darkness

    All well and good, but the real scandal is the crap Stevens was doing that was perfectly legal.

    Not sure of the wisdom of this move on the part of our local Obama offices. Not sure if it’s just local either.

    Here in Upstate NY you previously had to give over a $15 donation to get a sign, so they were sparse, and often stolen (I like to think by someone wanting to put it up in their own yard.) Now the donation requirement has been dropped and signs have cropped up like daffodils in springtime. I spent the day, yet again, delivering signs for my congresscritter candidate. I put a sign in one yard and the male, white, older gentleman came out and proceeded to berate me because he’d asked for an Obama sign, damnit, and he didn’t want the congress one there unless he got an Obama sign too. Trouble is, this was common during phone banking, that when we asked if people wanted a sign for our candidate, they said, no, but they’d love an Obama sign. At any rate, I could not turn down an angry old white guy who would yell at an innocent volunteer because he wanted a sign for the black guy running for president. I went and fetched him one. And one for me too, but I didn’t get home with it. Someone else spotted it in the back of the car at a later stop, so I gave it away.

  94. 94.

    Xenos

    Yep, I was wrong.
    Preemptive pardons exist.
    What a gently caressed up world.

    Well, maybe you were right. The problem is that Carter did not challenge the Nixon pardon, just like Clinton did not go after G.H.W. Bush for felony obstruction of justice when he pardoned Casper Weinberger.

    Here is hoping that the Obama administration is not so hesitant to root out the iniquity of the current crop of Republicriminals.

  95. 95.

    burnspbesq

    @Xenos:

    Sorry, but there is no ground for a challenge. The Constitution makes the Presidential pardon power plenary and unreviewable.

    And there is plenty of shame to go around. Recall that Scooter Libby’s greatest achievement as a lawyer was convincing the Clinton administration to pardon Marc Rich.

  96. 96.

    Comrade The Other Steve

    Is it took late to ask Senator Stevens his opinion on mandatory sentencing guidelines?

  97. 97.

    Comrade The Other Steve

    And there is plenty of shame to go around. Recall that Scooter Libby’s greatest achievement as a lawyer was convincing the Clinton administration to pardon Marc Rich.

    I’m sorry, Scooter Libby trumped Marc Rich as an abuse of presidential pardoning authority.

    Once an issue has been trumped you can’t bring it up again.

  99. 99.

    jcricket

    And the penitentiary is a series of bars.

    FTW! Just forwarded that comment to my friends.

    To double your dose of schadenfreude, WA state’s own local, hapless, smarmy, lying and soon-to-be-twice-a-loser Gooper candidate for Governor (Dino Rossi) is about to be deposed in a case where he’s accused of illegally coordinating with his right-wing, anti-environmentalist cronies of the BIAW (builders industry association of washington, which is incredibly wingnutty).

    Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of fuckwits.

    And, btw, the most recent Democratic scandal, Mahoney in Florida was, until about a year before he was elected, a Republican. So Republicans are breeding the corruption wide and deep these days.

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