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Stevens Sunk by His Own Testimony
Stevens Sunk
by His Own Testimony
ANALYSIS

Stevens Sunk by His Own Testimony

Senator came across as evasive, combative in cross-examination

(Newser) - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens' decision not to take the Fifth in his corruption trial was a bold gamble that backfired, the Hill writes. The Republican came across as "evasive and combative" under tough questioning on the stand, hurting his credibility and adding weight to the prosecution's argument that...

Stevens Testimony Ends Bitterly

Senator's third day on stand includes usual measure of barbed encounters

(Newser) - The prosecution got tough, and Ted Stevens testy, on the senator’s last day of testimony in his Washington corruption trial, the Hill reports. The prosecution challenged Stevens with emails that seemed to undercut assertions he knew nothing of gifts allegedly given to him by oil boss Bill Allen. At...

Stevens: Wife Was in Charge of House

Sen. testifies that he asked for all renovation bills, and thought he paid for everything

(Newser) - Ted Stevens was out of the loop on his home renovation, preferring to let his wife handle financial details, the Hill reports. In testimony today in Washington, the senator said he was only at the cabin for two days in 2000 while renovations were ongoing. He also said he thought...

Stevens Takes Stand, Denies Shady Deals

Alaska senator rebuffs charges he got free construction work

(Newser) - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens took the stand today in his own defense and denied scheming to hide $250,000 in home improvements and other gifts from a corrupt businessman. When asked by his lawyer whether he thought his Senate disclosure forms were accurate when he signed them, the Alaska political...

Stevens' Wife Denies Impropriety

Catherine Stevens says she thought oil workers were part of construction crew

(Newser) - Ted Stevens’ wife, testifying at the Alaska senator’s Washington corruption trial today, said she didn’t know that two men working on a home renovation were oil-company employees, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Catherine Stevens, herself a lawyer, often spoke directly to the jury as the defense pushed its...

Friend of Stevens Bullied Contractor Into Eating $13K Bill

'Think of it as a political contribution,' pal said

(Newser) - An Alaska oil exec told a carpenter working on renovations to Sen. Ted Stevens home that he would have to “eat” a final $13,393 bill, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The carpenter, Augie Paone, took the stand in Stevens’ corruption trial today in Washington, telling the court that...

Jury Hears Secret Tapes in Stevens Trial

Alaska senator curses, claims innocence in talks with key witness

(Newser) - Jurors heard tapes yesterday of Ted Stevens cursing federal investigators and declaring his innocence in conversations he did not know were being recorded, reports the Anchorage Daily News. Stevens was speaking with former Veco CEO Bill Allen, the prosecution’s chief witness in the Alaska senator’s corruption trial. "...

Judge Sends Stevens Jury Home, May Declare Mistrial

Prosecutors withheld FBI reports on witness

(Newser) - A federal judge sent the jury in Ted Stevens’ Washington corruption trial home today as he considers declaring a mistrial for the Alaska senator, the AP reports. Stevens’ lawyers claimed that prosecutors attempted to withhold FBI reports about the government’s key witness, former oil exec Bill Allen, that they...

Oil Exec: Sen. Stevens Wasn't Serious About Paying Bills

Man whose company renovated Republican's home continues testimony

(Newser) - Ted Stevens avoided eye contact with onetime buddy Bill Allen as the former oil exec detailed his company’s renovations on the senator’s home, the Wall Street Journal reports. Allen says he received thank-you notes from Stevens saying, “You owe me a bill. … It just has to...

Palin Turns Over Tainted Donations to Charity

Guv seeks to polish off a smudge in her anti-corruption cred

(Newser) - When Sarah Palin ran for governor, she made a point of not taking any money from VECO, an oil company at the center of a corruption scandal. But she did take, and will now give to charity, donations of $1,000 each from two politicians indicted for their role in...

Stevens Used Oil Firm as 'Handyman': Prosecutors

In opening statement, defense touts honesty

(Newser) - Prosecutors say Republican Sen. Ted Stevens deliberately failed to disclose gifts from an Alaska oil company, including $240,000 in home renovations and a $2,700 massage chair, the Los Angeles Times reports. “Veco acted as his own personal handyman service,” the prosecution said in the opening arguments...

Oil, Politics Swirl in Stevens' Trial

Key witness in Alaskan senator's alleged corruption an oilman who 'owned' pols

(Newser) - As the corruption trial against Alaska Sen.Ted Stevens gets started today, the politician is preparing to face off against a gritty oilman who has bragged about "owning" state lawmakers, reports the New York Times. The chief defense witness in Stevens' corruption trial is Bill Allen, a high-school dropout...

Oil Co. Planned Stevens' Home Renovation

Embattled Senator would have known who footed bill: report

(Newser) - The plan to renovate Sen. Ted Stevens’ Alaska home was formed by oil-company employees, participants tell the Anchorage Daily News. The renovation, central to allegations of corruptions against the indicted Republican, was supervised by a Veco employee and paid for by the company, investigators say. Stevens’ home gained a new...

No Pol Left Behind in Alaska Corruption

Bribery scandal spreads from Juneau to DC

(Newser) - Back-room backslaps, pockets stuffed with $100 bills, and the odd Viagra pill—the Washington Post looks at the freewheeling frontier-style corruption exposed in oil-rich Alaska over the last few years, as elected representatives on every level were caught in scandals and many entered guilty pleas. Now the stain is threatening...

FBI Taped Senator's Phone Calls in Corruption Probe

Feds recorded calls with oil contractor who bribed officials

(Newser) - The FBI secretly taped phone calls between Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and an oil businessman during an investigation into contract corruption, according to sources. The oil contractor agreed to the tapings last year after he was confronted with evidence that he had bribed other Alaska lawmakers, AP reports. Stevens acknowledged...

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