Stevens Rises from the Ashes.
A smiling Ted Stevens surrounded by his equally smiling daughters graces the front page of the Anchorage Daily News online today. What a long, strange trip it’s been.
A federal judge today set aside a jury’s guilty verdict and the indictment against former Sen. Ted Stevens, then announced he was appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the government attorneys in the case for failing their constitutional duties to ensure a fair trial.
“In 25 years on the bench, I’ve never seen anything approaching the mishandling and misconduct that I’ve seen in this case,” U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said.
He dismissed the case based on recently discovered pre-trial interviews with a star witness that contradicted his trial testimony.
We should all have a personal litmus test about anything political. Mine is when I find myself saying, “that’s strange.” Usually that means there’s a lot going on I don’t know about. But I think to myself that when a U.S. District Judge says that in 25 years on the bench, he has “never seen anything approaching the mishandling and misconduct I have seen in this case,” that’s pretty strange.
Here’s what we know.
The Bush Department of Justice indicts the longest-sitting Republican Senator in the history of ever. They royally botch the trial from beginning to end. Stevens, is found guilty, and then the case is dismissed. And now the Obama Department of Justice is investigating the federal prosecutors involved.
This is causing lots of chin stroking here in Alaska. Did Bush have it in for Ted? Did the prosecution deliberately screw it up so badly it got thrown out? Are the people who say either of those things tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists, or is everyone else a naive Pollyanna?
And is it over yet? Alaskans have been at this long enough to know that indictments are still coming. We sit patiently, watching the change of the seasons and knowing that they will come. They always do. We have developed patience. And our patience is always rewarded, as we watch the ups and downs of the painful cleansing process that is brought to our state, courtesy of the federal government.
But the Stevens trial was just plain strange. And the back story may never be known.
And today, there are a lot of happy people in Alaska. And there are a lot of unhappy ones. But all of us are waiting…
Patiently.
As the governor would almost say, prayers are answered when God opens the door a tiny bit and Mark Begich walks through. Congrats, Alaska! You not only dodged the bullet, but came out ahead.
I wonder if Stevens said, if I go down, I’m taking a bunch of you Senators with me? And then they put pressure to get the case tossed.
I certainly knew Stevens would never serve time and figured, all along, that at worst he’d get off on a technicality. It having nothing to do with his innocence. No one wants to spend all the money to change the airports name and all those maps.
If Stevens were average Joe without multi-millions of campaign dollars to spend on the best law firms for defense, he’d certainly be in a jail cell and it would be considered a fair trail.
OT:
Huff Post is reporting that 71 sentors including Don Young (labeled as an earmark king) missed the earmark declaration deadline.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/07/71-lawmakers-fail-to-disc_n_184150.html
We tried. It’s not so easy. See if you can find your own member’s earmarks starting from his or her homepage and let us know what you find — especially if it’s for a bridge from somewhere to nowhere.
That is, unless you’re represented by one of the 71 that didn’t follow the law at all, which includes a few notables: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), earmark king Don Young (R-Alaska) and Roy Blunt (R-Ohio), the former minority whip now running for Senate.
NY Times and Wikipedia have some “scoop” on this… er… well the Prosecutorial mishandling of the case. Sounds like too many “chefs,” too many subtitutions at DOJ, and a defense firm that was “b*lls to the wall” about the case including the move for a speedy trial. A “whistle blower” FBI agent (now that is strange! ) and some clear failure to disclose “evidence favorable to the defense”…MAJOR Doh(s) !!!
Sorry, more OT but it’s about Sarah. Just trying to help AKM & everyone else keep up with all the news that keeps coming out.
Virginia Dems To Slam GOP Candidate With “Divisive” McCain-Palin Footage
“You remember the Republican strategy for winning Virginia last November?” the vid says, going on to air then-controversial footage of former McCain spokesperson Nancy Pfotenhauer describing the non-northern parts of the state as the “real Virginia.”
It then airs Palin’s infamous quote: “The best of America is in these small towns we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call Real America.”
“The Republican Party,” the ad concludes. “No New Ideas. The same failed divisive attacks.” Full script here.
It’s another sign that Dems remain convinced that Palin — and memories of the harsher moments of Campaign 2008 — remain a major turnoff to swing voters.
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-party/virginia-dems-to-slam-gop-candidate-with-divisive-mccain-palin-footage/
I think they intentionally screwed up.
I think there was a lot of pressure to indict Ted because of his flagrant corruption. I think they wanted him to retire. Since he kept running and running for re-election, they eventually had to follow through. But it was intentionally screwed up so it wouldn’t stick and he’d never do time.
“What a long, strange trip it’s been.”
More political LSD, anyone?
I agree, mlaiuppa! I bet the bushies made a deal with him: we’ll indict you, but we’ll do such a lousy job, you will walk free eventually!
What they didn’t count on was that THEY might get investigated under a new administration, I guess.
Totally off-topic: How noticeable was the earthquake where you are? I was actually on the verge of ducking under my desk…
OmegaMom Says:
We all got out our chairs! That was a good shaker. Nothing broken here. AEIC is currently saying 4.69. About 9 mi. NW of Eagle River (me) and 16 NNE of Anchorage. There was a small aftershock as well. Everyone must have felt it. It was hard to get onto AEIC wesite.
Most interesting the Ted Stevens case. This is a must read:
http://www.atlargely.com/2009/04/nyt-on-stevens-minor-and-siegelman.html#more
Charges dropped doesn’t = innocent. He’s still a dirty crook.
And you saw Palin made it into Eminems new video (and bedroom)? Huff Post.
OMG, have you had an earthquake in Alaska?
OT – earthquake again…
Interesting. The info was just there (on AEIC website) and now it’s gone but the aftershock is there. Hmm?
it also appears to have iritated/frazzled the cat a bit…
Stay safe!!
Hah. The dog was barking something fierce. Still shows as a 4.7 on Google Earth; AEIC shows the “most recent” event, I think.
Irishgirl:
earthquake info:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/special/Alaska.php
Question:
I wonder, does any of this stem back to appointment by Alberto Gonzales of Cohen as interim U.S. Attorney which Stevens objected to? Ben Stevens office was one of a number of offices raided 3 days later. Did Rove possibly have his hands in any of this being that it was a Republican objecting? Payback? Screwed it up in time for election?
Thanks Irishgirl…
OmegaMom – Our dog just got all excited and tail waggy like this fun. So much for her alerting us when the big one might hit (I thought animals were supposed to have a sixth sense about these kinds of things – guess not ours) Now AEIC says 4.57. I think we had one on the same fault like a week or two ago.
10 Paula Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 12:44 PM
And you saw Palin made it into Eminems new video (and bedroom)? Huff Post.
***********************
Slim Shady does know about trailer trash.
I firmly believe that the Bush DOJ screwed up the prosecution on purpose. That way if Ted was convicted, there would be grounds to overturn the verdict. I think that it will be fitting justice if the prosecutors who went along with this plan are prosecuted themselves. If they are, perhaps they will roll over on the people who told them to screw up the prosecution.
This could get very interesting.
I’ve lived on a fault line (Isle de Montreal) and, believe me, the aftershocks can cause a lot of damage, too. I remember one rumbler where nothing was knocked over, but was displaced enough (over uneven floors) so that the minor aftershock brought a fully loaded bookcase down on my bed. Take care, all, and shift the china back to where it was before the 4.5er!
O T
The HuffPo has posted the story (by Shannyn Moore ) explaining and analyzing the replacement of Kim Elton and Sarah’s circus sideshow and everybody who is playing under the Bigtop.
“Face it, Alaska, Palin’s just not that into you!”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/face-it-alaska-palins-jus_b_184203.html
I’d love to see the next poll after people read this… and the shenanigans of the last week.
There was a good segment on this on Talk of Alaska program on KSKA today (local public radio). Not sure if it’s available to stream or as a podcast or if it will be re-aired later, but it’s worth listening to in order to get some local perspective. Here’s a link to the calendar for KSKA, perhaps there is some way to contact Steve Heimel, the host of the show? There are also links to the local candidates’ discussions re: their platforms. Of course voting is today, so it may be too little, too late, but this is an excellent resource if you’re undecided still.
http://kska.org/page/2/
I agree with Katiebegood! There was too much evidence piling up, and they had to have a trial. The prosecutors were aiming to get the case reversed on appeal, but they were just too eager to do their job. They might have even been trying to get the case running past the November election, but that didn’t work out. Maybe if they are facing some time in prison instead of just a contempt of court citation, maybe if they are facing permanent disbarment, maybe they will reveal what we’re all thinking. Just hoping, but what am I thinking? Who in the Bush administration has been coming forward to set the record straight? Right.
I think we should be careful about speculating that the government ‘threw’ the case. Remember, the prosecutors could face prison time here. No joke.
There were strong grounds for a case of some kind, here. Why it ended up about the disclosures, I don’t know. My gut (non-lawyerly) feeling is that accepting a house remodel, a Viking grill, etc as gifts is illegal in itself..
But I think it’s pretty clear the case fell apart on incompetence. Lawyers can be incompetent, too. And the Justice Dept has hardly been well run these last 8 years, so the oversight, training, and followup have doubtless been lacking.
Strange, indeed! I hope the IRS will follow through on the evidence and, at least, hold him accountable for back taxes. I hope some anti-corruption message will come from this.
I don’t think it was screwed up intentionally. I think the prosecution was overeager.
The scheming, manipulating Bush administration would have never taken a chance on losing a Republican Senator and opening the door to the possibility of another Democratic Senator (Begich).
@honestyinGov Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 1:11 PM
O T
The HuffPo has posted the story (by Shannyn Moore ) explaining and analyzing the replacement of Kim Elton and Sarah’s circus sideshow and everybody who is playing under the Bigtop.
“Face it, Alaska, Palin’s just not that into you!”
———————————————————–
Great article…thanks for posting!!
According to this Washington Post article , the same prosecutors that muffed Stevens , are the ones investigating Don Young. wonderful.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040701655.html
Don Young’s lawyer attended today’s hearing and had no comment.wonderful.
more wonderful news.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/07/holder-no-one-will-be-fir_n_184299.html
As was discussed briefly on Talk of Alaska today, it was well-known that Stevens and Bush did NOT have a good relationship. I would imagine that Stevens got along well with Daddy Bush, but not the son. Stevens is an old-school Republican, it’s more or less all about spending, oil & industry, NOT the right-wing religious stuff. That would put him at odds with many currently in the Senate and of course Dubya. (Really, if you’re interested in this topic it is well worth the time to track down that show, to see if you can stream it, or something like that)
Anyway, there are many many things that could have been going on here. Since Stevens was powerful in the Senate but not really on board with the right-winger types that are lining themselves up for runs in 2012, as well as having a contentious relationship with Dubya, it could have been a concerted effort to get him out and get someone from Alaska in, a Republican that would march lock-step with the right-wingers. There could also have been a similar/parallel strategy on the part of Stevens, as well. Face it, the guy is 85 years old. He could have had in mind a successor, someone who would have been talked up prior to him stepping down, thereby becoming the “logical” person to replace him. I suspect that he had faith that Alaskans would vote for him, regardless, (and he was right), and that the possibility of a Dem getting the seat was out of the question. He was very very close, and had Palin not stepped onto the national stage, thereby showing Alaskans and the rest of the US how utterly insane some in the party are, he would have been right. She did not just cost McCain votes, she also cost Stevens votes.
So sayeth the born & raised Alaskan, formerly registered Republican (married to a still registered Republican).
Re the bungled case against Stevens… I think it’s a big stretch to call the bungling “intentional.” For one thing, devious as they were, I don’t think they were that smart (to do it on purpose). Besides, why would they have to try, eh? They were doing just fine without trying, apparently.
And off topic here, but can I vent? WTF is with our gov talking about stimulus funds and the fact that the funds would not be there in the future? When she gave away $1200 to every man, woman & child of Alaska (except those who’d not been here a year, cuz, you know, they don’t actually NEED to heat their homes), wasn’t that a form of subsidy that would not be there in the future?
Does anyone else find it utterly bizarre that it is only okay for HER to give away, I think the figure was $750 million, from the state’s coffers, in a give-away that was a one-time only deal????
The behavior of the prosecution is consistent with the behavior of the Bush administration. The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, international treaty – all were to be p****** on in the furtherance of the “unitary executive.”
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Stevens and McCain were bascially frien-emies. McCain was a big time Union Buster (i.e. “Right-to-Work for less than market wages with no benefits”) AND he consistently voted down opening ANWR to exploration.
Alaska (as always) has schizo politics. We are a pro-oil, pro-union demographic. We like free market capitalism AND our permanent fund dividends. We make no apologies for out inconsistencies because, well – they work for us.
Alaskans have voted for Republicans for a long time now because we naively believed that Republican would deliver on their (now empty) promises to open ANWR.
12 years of a Republican majority in Congress, 8 of those years under a Republican president and ANWR STILL doesn’t get passed. McCain is one of those Republican Senators who blocked it.
As a lifelong Alaskan I think Alaska’s Republicans should be reminded that a REAL conservative doesn’t need Jesus to get elected. A strong intellect, INTEGRITY and a focus on doing whats best for ALL Alaskans is what we really want – regardless of party affiliation.
I wonder what Stevens would say if asked about what he think would have happened (with the case and the shady prosecutors) had McCain been president right now?
Takes the first-in-history election of a black man (and a democrat) to the Presidency to move towards justice in the case of a Republican Senator accused of corruption.
P.S. I voted for Obama AND Ted Stevens. I thought this prosecution smelled like dead fish. What he did amounted to misadventures in paperwork, not totally on the up-an-up – but not exactly prisonable either. No one ever asked: did Stevens sell his votes or use his influence to make Bill Allen more money in order that Stevens could receive more random gifts from him? I think Bill Allen remained his friend because he knew that one day all his shadiness would require a ‘get out of jail free’ card.
A coworker thinks the Bush Admin screwed up everything on purpose to “prove gov’t doesn’t work” so they could get away with shrinking the gov’t and raping the little guys and pillaging at will. Seems a little like what happened; thankfully we got rid of his administration.
I agree nswfm CA.
Bushies hate government and seek election to lead it in order to dismantle it from the inside-out.
Pretty effective strategery if you ask me.
They did a LOT of dismantling.
I don’t think Stevens was a bushie, Republicans tear down their own more viciously than they do anyone else.
Thankful doesn’t begin to describe my emotion about being rid of the Bush Admin. I tend to view it as getting the news that one’s cancer is in remission. It might be gone for now but there is no such thing as an absolute cure.
Now this poor guy got the shaft.By Rove.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/keying_off_stevens_decision_siegelman_steps_up_pus.php
Here is AG Holder talking about it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/07/holder-no-one-will-be-fir_n_184299.html
I agree that kind of incompetance at the federal level is “strange.”
Could be just unqualified Bushies. Could be it was BS to smoke screen bigger Stevens scam.
Could be we need to wait and see what comes down the line as a result of this shake up.
Gotta wonder what the judge is looking for in the fed’s prosecution records???
@ Marnie,
I think he was looking for the evidence he needed to justify a special prosecutor order. And he found it.
He was also, I think, evaluating whether all or only some of the charges had been tainted.
33 SMR
Excellent points throughout.
So right, Stevens was unlikely to be a neocon, and probably did not like the way the Bushies were taking the party.
I would not be suprised to see Her Karl somethere in this.
35 SMR Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 2:21 PM
Does anyone else find it utterly bizarre that it is only okay for HER to give away, I think the figure was $750 million, from the state’s coffers, in a give-away that was a one-time only deal????
A bit….um….Socialistic, too? Also.
Isn’ t this the same Justice Dept. that was being staffed by people who
used it for out-right political vendettas all along under Bush?
With terrible morale in the ranks?
Something all seem to be forgetting including SP and Randy Ruedrich, Uncle Ted demanded his constitutional right to a speedy trial before the Nov. election. Had he been patient, he may have won. When you’re 85 though… The man could bring home the bacon and I do wish him the best of the rest of his life.
This explains a lot.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/us/politics/07stevens.html?hpw
You know what they say about paybacks? Probably just a case of someone finally getting their chance to get back at Ted for who knows what reason. Probably a friend of Bush’s. That is how it works. Too bad for Ted, I really feel bad for him…..Not!!!!
OT this in from Redstate:
http://www.redstate.com/josh_painter/2009/04/07/its-alive-the-first-sarah-palin-defense-fund/
Catch the last paragraph.
How about the feds in Alaska were just not on the national radar. The big bosses were busy with other things and the Alaska feds just went with their guts. And then everything went to sh!!t.
I think the last paragraph forgot that Andree is a Republican. Those people look like they’d follow Palin to Guyana for some toxic koolaid.
It’s all deeply ironic to me. I think the investigation on the prosecutor’s conduct in this case should lead to some interesting information. I was suspicious from the first when Steven’s demanded such a speedy trial, especially right before his election campaign. My personal conspiracy theory is that Steven’s was able to call in his favors with his old time buddy’s in the DOJ. A deal was made; mis-trial with a de facto pardon (he’ll never see re-trial). I knew he’d never see jail time. And I don’t believe for a moment that he’s innocent.
Sullivan the judge in this case, seems to have had it with the DOJ not turning over evidence to defense in a number of cases. He just last week read them the riot act on not turning over medical records to lawyers for Guantanamo detainees and ordered Justice Department lawyers to explain why he shouldn’t cite them for contempt.
Sullivan has stated that he has seen this in a number of cases, that the Stevens case is just one example.
He has also asked all federal judges to uphold the law and make sure disclosure is done. He even mentioned that maybe new prosecutors should be given a class or something on what their responsibilities are.
I think this is more of an example of the DOJ, under Bush, feeling like they had a lot of leeway on what they did and didn’t turn over to defense. This goes back to the way that the DOJ began charging people with various acts under the Patriot Act, which brought with it a whole lot of things that use to be illegal. There use to be that little thing about right to a lawyer and right to a speedy trial. Not necessarily now. In fact, just this week, there was a ruling that statements that are given by defendents who have not been brought to a judge in a timely manner. (their first court appearance) will not be allowed into evidence.
This is just the way that the Bush DOJ seems to have thought they could do business, and now they are finding out that the judges aren’t going to go along with it any longer.
At least you good folks unelected the senile ol’ thief.
Just because gw’s prosecutors misbehaved doesn’t mean that Stevens wasn’t crooked or corrupt. But those prosecutors and/or FBI agents need a good swift kick in the arse, or a good firing. And Sullivan isn’t without blame, either. It was fairly evident early on that the prosecution team was running under the bar. He knew it, they knew it and people who understand the process knew it. Sullivan should have acted sooner. Whether he acted within his discretion will be fodder for the legal scholars for years to come.
But Stevens got what he deserved. I see nothing to change my opinion on that matter.
Stevens, his girls, his wife (is she there?) and I assume his son-Ben are all patting each other on the back “congrats” and all. Some Repugs are joining in. I cringe when his lawyers and others say he was vidicated, or innocent. His own testimony proved his guilt. That is all the prosecution needed. What an arrogant man. I will be interested in seeing what the investigation into the prosecution turns up.
I had a friend who was a lawyer for a large law firm on Long Island. Mostly defending, and losing, for insurance companies. He complained that discovery was routinely ignored, avoided, and, along with prepping witnesses testimony, one of the ethical niceties that the lawyers at his firm felt they had to avoid if they were going to win. I’ll admit, this confession was made 20 years ago. The profession has improved since?
I can understand people believing that the government’s lawyers deliberately threw the case so the 85 year old Senator would not go to jail. A darker, more cynical truth is that this generation of lawyers treats with contempt the ethical standards of their profession – these people were practicing law before they got their jobs at justice. They do it all the time, and that’s why they were the lead prosecutors in such an important case.
The Stevens trial was botched from the get-go, or so we led to be aware. Ted Stevens has been exonerated from any corruption charges and convictions, but I can see him rearing his head again. Now, Ted has retired from politics, finally, but could he be a player in Alaska politics? Doubtful, but he might try to toss some wooden nickels into the ring.