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Stevens: Life Imitating Legislation

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July 30, 2008 12:53 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Sen. Ted Stevens, who until yesterday was the ranking republican on Senate subcommittee charged with overseeing Disaster Recovery, is dealing with his own legal disaster by going about his business as usual.

He may be under a cloud, facing arraignment in federal court tomorrow on seven counts of corruption for failing to report gifts he received from an oil company, but the longest sitting Republican is not in hiding.

He started his day on the Hill attending a business meeting for the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

Stevens, who is accused with improperly accepting gifts from an oil company by failing to disclose them, spoke at the meeting today on the unrelated by serendipitously titled "Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2008."  The bill, which seeks to cut down on tax dollars improperly paid out by federal agencies, was passed out of committee by voice vote.

Later, Sen. Stevens  was on the Senate floor, where he voted along with Republican colleagues against invoking cloture on a bill that would create a federal law to protect journalists from having to disclose the identities of their sources in federal court some instances.

On the Senate floor, Stevens made the rounds of Senators as they voted. He shook hands with Republican Sens. John Warner of Virginia and Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. He spoke with Sen. Robert Byrd for a moment and with Sen. Daniel Inouye, two of the three Democrats who have served longer in the Senate than him.

Stevens spoke for several minutes with Sen. Larry Craig, Republican of Idaho, who had his own legal problems last year.

As Stevens left the floor and entered the Republican cloakroom, it seemed from the press gallery that he motioned to Warner and Sen. Sam Brownback, R-KS, with his fist raised that he would fight.

He also opposed cloture vote on the motion to proceed to a bill that would extend popular tax credits.

Republicans are opposing consideration of the bills as a protest against Democrats, who have refused to allow open consideration and amendment of bills that would allow increased drilling off American shores, although Republicans stripped proposals for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve

Stevens, whose personal legal catastrophe began when employees for the now-defunct oil company VECO helped him better his housing situation with hundreds of thousands of dollars of improvements, could then have headed across the Capitol where the Disaster Recovery Subcommittee was holding a hearing on how to deal with "post-catastrophe housing needs."

But as of now, no sign of him at that hearing yet.

July 30, 2008 in Veepstakes | Permalink | User Comments (7)

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Some cancelled checks and receipts should be all he needs to clear himself. what's that, he lost them? Ahhh, ahhh too bad.

Posted by: geok1 | Jul 30, 2008 3:55:00 PM

Hopefully there will be more charges to follow - bribery. Making false statements was just easier to prove and prosecute.
BTW VECO was not an oil company - it was an oil services company.

Posted by: akleiann | Jul 30, 2008 4:14:56 PM

Bill Allen and VECO were not known in Alaska during the late 70s and early 80s as honest business people. I live and worked there and knew Allen and Stevens through my work. VECO's people were hungry for contacts and were always ready to make a DEAL with big oil or politicians. I always felt Senator Stevens was honest but now I do have questions.
I don't know about other people but I do not have cancelled check and receipts 9 or 10 years old to prove my payments. I was told seven years was long enough to hold them.
And now, what about Senator Obama's equity windfall in the value amount of $300,000 in purchasing a mansion with the help of Tony Rezko, the political fixer, government contractor and now criminal setting in jail. Did Obama declare that a gift and pay taxes on this amount. They certainly conspired to purchase the adjoining property the very same day and later Obama's over-paid value on the Rezko property. There are certainly questions there. But, of course, BHO is a Democrat with the backing of high-powered politician and money men.
If the Range Rover had been driven over Alaska's out-back roads, 10,000 miles, that would make it a bucket of rattles, dents and dings. A 64 Ford Mustang is considered a classic car and its value would depend on what someone would be willing to pay for it. The 68 Mustang I drove was valued more than bluebook value when wrecked in 1984.
Does anyone remember what Obama's half-eaten waffle sold for on E-Bay??? Value is a personal consideration.

Posted by: Mary | Jul 30, 2008 5:33:51 PM

Stevens is a perfect example of why we need Congressional term limits and strict lobbying and campaign contribution reform. No one will propose it because they're all feeding at the same trough. Both parties will be quick to cast blame, but they're all ethically-challenged to some extent; it’s a prerequisite for the job. Not many jobs where one can earn (I use the term loosely) a big salary, great lifetime benefits and still make money on the side for selling your morals.

Posted by: LagunaTriMom | Jul 30, 2008 5:52:22 PM

Just needs to pace the whole thing...legal delays and all for 6 months then presto! problem solved. Mr Bush has him on the exhaustive list of "true patriot" pardons already. Just stay tuned, it will be a record setting list to be sure.

Posted by: Rick_VT | Jul 30, 2008 6:14:54 PM

"another crooked repub" -- YAWN. For every repub there's a crooked dem so what a pointless remark.

Posted by: mc | Jul 30, 2008 8:07:46 PM

If Senator Steven is a crook, then Senator Obama is also a crook. And Obama got more free money or value.

Posted by: Mary | Jul 31, 2008 3:58:28 AM

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