click Senator Ted Stevens to enlarge
By Pablo Fanque,
All This Is That National Affairs Editor
U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (Republican, Alaska) was charged Tuesday with hiding more than a quarter million dollars in "gifts," including home renovations, that he received from an Alaska oil company, the Justice Department said. That only includes the hiding, friendos, not the taking and soliciting.
The Alaska politician, who has been in the Senate longer than almost any other Senator (40 years) was indicted by a grand jury indictment on seven counts of lying on Senate financial disclosure forms. Not surprisingly, he is also one of the biggest scolds in Congress. He joins fellow Republicans like Senator Larry Craig who was busted for atempting to have sex in an airport bathroom; David Vitter who cheated on his wife with prostitutes while haranguing us about "family values;" and even disgraced ex-Governor Elliott Spitzer, who also had a yen for prostitutes, while publicly campaigning to shut down "call girl rings."
Soon to be Ex-Senator Stevens denied the charges, of course, and swore he would be exonerated. But he had to step down from his various committees in the Senate. He has thus far, given no indication he plans to resign from the Senate."I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that," Stevens said in a statement. "I have never knowingly submitted a false disclosure form required by law as a U.S. senator."
There was no immediate signal that Republicans would pressure Stevens to resign, but give it a few days. On the other hand, the Senator may well continue with his re-election campaign. I suspect the Senator would want us to believe that he, along with us, are victims of the deviancy amplification spiral.
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