When Ted Stevens, former senator from Alaska, was convicted on seven felony counts of corruption, I stressed that what I knew about Stevens’s corruption was not what was debated in court but what happened, quite openly, in the U.S. Senate.
Do you remember my verdict? Here’s what I said: “[I]f as many as five or six — or even all seven — of the counts against him are not upheld, his name will still appear dirty in my book, dirty from all the porkbarelling. Senator Ted Stevens is a horrifying example of much that is wrong in government.”
Stevens has always been proud of his porkmeistering, his attempts to transform independent-minded Alaskans into our union’s biggest pork recipients.
Further, Stevens insisted upon his innocence of illegal corruption all through his trial. And in his appeal his lawyers made much of a whistle blower’s leaked information from the prosecution that the office did not fully disclose all the information from a chief witness. At that point, there was almost no possible recourse but to overturn the convictions.
According to Eric Holder, top banana at the Department of Justice, there will be no second prosecution.
I still have no certainty about the DOJ’s case against Stevens. But I do have certainty about my case against Stevens’s politics of pork.
One additional bit of certainty: Corruption is in plentiful supply among prosecutors, including in the U.S. Department of Justice.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
4 replies on “Stevens, Justice, and Corruption”
This was a high profile trial, so how is it that the federal prosecutors failed to follow proper procedures? Are the US DAs that stupid? If the prosecutors were serious about nailing Stevens for corruption, they could have requested a retrial. They didn’t; Stevens walks; and many of us believe that this outcome was desided by top people in the federal government. Government corruption goes a lot further than one ex-Senator.
Isn’t it really interesting how those with access to power & wealth can avoid prosecution on technicalities?
Think Senator Stevens or even Ted Ayers. Power & money have allowed those who violate our laws, to create circumstances that void their prosecutions.
Yet these same individuals look to be as guilty today as they did the day a court ruled their convictions or prosecutions to be invalid due to prosecutorial errors! Or is it prosecutorial misconduct??
You be the judge!
It’s clear to me that DOJ frelled up the case on purpose so Stevens’ convictions could be overturned. No second trial? Of course not! Stevens is too powerful to let real fraud charges stick.
A few years ago in CT our Governor was guilty of at least a dozen provable crimes, mostly kickbacks from construction contractors. But he was only tried on one charge, the LEAST significant one, and spent slightly over a year in a Federal pen with comfy chairs and high thread-count sheets.
Others high up in his administration went to jail for much longer. Sucks to be the little guy!
Bribery is Bribery, and Corruption is a Felony. No Elected official is above the law and Stevens and the Full Senate are apparently all guilty of Conspiracy against the Sovereign Government of America. WE the People. It is time to take legal action against our elected and audit all of them and their families.