U.S. Drops Charges Against Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Many of us recall that the oldest and longest senator in the history of the U.S. had corruption and ethics charges brought against him right before elections last year.
There was a lot of conspiracy talk going on and many saying he was innocent. I do not have much of an opinion on this issue because I neither knew of the man nor was I as involved in politics over the last few years as I am now.
From the Anchorage Daily News (ADN):
The Justice Department has moved to dismiss former Sen. Ted Stevens’ indictment, effectively voiding his Oct. 27 conviction on seven counts of filing false statements on his U.S. Senate financial disclosure forms.
“After careful review, I have concluded that certain information should have been provided to the defense for use at trial,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement released this morning. “In light of this conclusion, and in consideration of the totality of the circumstances of this particular case, I have determined that it is in the interest of justice to dismiss the indictment and not proceed with a new trial.”
The Justice Department filed its motion to dismiss the case this morning.
Stevens, who is 85, lost his re-election bid in November to the former Anchorage Mayor, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska.
Since Stevens’ conviction, the former Alaska senator’s lawyers have filed several motions to outright dismiss his original indictment or to grant Stevens a new trial. Their motions have been based in part on allegations in a whistle-blower complaint by an Anchorage FBI agent, and other allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that were released after Stevens’ conviction.
But the decision to dismiss the case appears to be based on a matter that came up during the trial: a discrepancy in the courtroom statements of the star witness, Bill Allen, the former oil services company CEO who plied Stevens with gifts, including home renovations that doubled the size of the Alaska senator’s residence.
Here is a case in which I can say that I think the Obama administration, and namely Eric Holder, made the right decision. I do not agree with their policies or decisions on most things, but when I do agree, I have no problem admitting that.
