'I Have Not Been Convicted of Anything': Stevens

Senator unlikely to restore reputation

(NEWSER) - Legally, Ted Stevens is off the hook. But it's unlikely he'll be able to regain his stature, or the Senate honors he might otherwise have been afforded, Laurie Kellman writes for the AP. His peers were notably restrained in response to yesterday's news that Justice is likely to void the Alaska Republican's conviction on failure to report gifts because of prosecutorial misconduct. "Boy, how do you get your reputation back when you've been so smeared?" asked Orrin Hatch, conspicuously not offering to lead the charge. More»

Alaska governor stopped short on state's senior senator, now toes nominee's line

(NEWSER) - John McCain and Sarah Palin delivered Ted Stevens a synchronized shooing toward the Senate door today, Politico reports. McCain said the 84-year-old Republican senator, convicted yesterday of corruption, “should now step down,” while Palin—who stopped short last night of urging her fellow Alaskan to resign—said today “he needs to step aside,” ABC News adds. More»

(NEWSER) - After 5 hours of deliberations, a federal jury found Ted Stevens guilty today on all seven corruption counts against him. Coming just before Election Day, the felony convictions cloud the political future of the 84-year-old Republican, who has represented Alaska in the Senate since 1968. As the foreman read the verdict, Stevens slumped slightly, the Anchorage Daily News reports. He later told his wife, "It's not over yet." More»

Republican plans to hit campaign trail touting record, blasting feds

(NEWSER) - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens returns home tomorrow to campaign for reelection after being convicted on felony corruption charges yesterday; his team vows a "nonstop, very aggressive" effort, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Stevens enjoys deep loyalty in the state, particularly in rural areas, where he’s brought billions of federal dollars. More»

Deliberations to begin Wednesday

(NEWSER) - The jury in the corruption trial of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens will begin deliberating tomorrow, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Prosecutors urged the jury to use common sense to conclude that $250,000 in gifts received by the powerful senator were bribes. His defense counsel told jurors that evidence against Stevens, 84, has been twisted. More»