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Ted Stevens ‘Conviction’ To Be Voided

From National Public Radio:

Sources: Ex-Sen. Stevens’ Conviction To Be Voided

by Nina Totenberg

Morning Edition, April 1, 2009 · The Justice Department will drop all charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, NPR has learned.

A jury convicted Stevens last fall of seven counts of lying on his Senate disclosure form in order to conceal $250,000 in gifts from an oil industry executive and other friends. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, however, he lost his bid for an eighth full term in office just days after he was convicted. Since then, charges of prosecutorial misconduct have delayed his sentencing and prompted defense motions for a new trial.

According to Justice Department officials, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has decided to drop the case against Stevens rather than continue to defend the conviction in the face of persistent problems stemming from the actions of prosecutors.

The judge in the Stevens case has repeatedly delayed sentencing and criticized trial prosecutors for what he’s called prosecutorial misconduct. At one point, prosecutors were held in contempt. Things got so bad that the Justice Department finally replaced the trial team, including top-ranking officials in the office of public integrity. That’s the department’s section charged with prosecuting public corruption cases.

With more ugly hearings expected, Holder is said to have decided late Tuesday to pull the plug. Stevens’ lawyers are expected to be informed Wednesday morning that the department will dismiss the indictment against the former senator.

Holder’s decision is said to be based on Stevens’ age — he’s 85 — and because Stevens is no longer in the Senate. Perhaps most importantly, Justice Department officials say Holder wants to send a message to prosecutors throughout the department that actions he regards as misconduct will not be tolerated.

Holder began his career in the department’s public integrity section; and, according to sources, he was horrified by the failure of prosecutors to turn over all relevant materials to the defense.

The attorney general also knows the trial judge, Emmett Sullivan, well. The two men served together as judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before each was promoted to higher office.

Holder respects Sullivan and reportedly has watched with growing alarm as Sullivan repeatedly has scolded prosecutors for failing to follow his judicial orders to fully inform defense lawyers about everything from potentially favorable evidence to the travel plans of witnesses. During the trial, prosecutorial missteps led to the judge instructing the jury to disregard some evidence.

Sentencing has been repeatedly delayed. By last month, it was playing a back seat to charges of prosecutorial misconduct — as a whistle-blowing FBI agent made complaints about improper conduct by a fellow agent and prosecutors. With a hearing scheduled in two weeks to explore those charges, Holder decided to review the case himself.

Justice Department officials say they will withdraw their opposition to the defense motion for a new trial and will dismiss the indictment — in effect voiding the Stevens conviction.

Ah, well, the convictions held up long enough for Mr. Stevens to lose his election.

Which is all the Democrats wanted.

Isn’t justice grand?

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This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 at 6:29 am. You can leave a response.

11 Responses to “Ted Stevens ‘Conviction’ To Be Voided”

  1. Liberals Demise
    April 1, 2009 at 9:34 am

    If you or I were in our 90’s they would exact their pound of flesh out of our wrinkled arses!! (By the officials in the “Office of Public Integrity)

  2. BannedbytheTaliban
    April 1, 2009 at 10:33 am

    Message to Mr. Stevens from AG Holder: APRIL FOOLS

  3. Reality Bytes
    April 1, 2009 at 11:07 am

    For Whom The Bell Tolls:

    Chris Dodd – (VIP Countrywide Loans – questionable off shore real estate holdings – aledged tax avoidance)
    Charles Rangel – (2 luxury “rent controlled” apartments from City Housing Officials – tax evasion – padding of congressional expenses – misuse of government resources)
    Barney Frank – (illegal Home Office Male Prostitution Ring)
    Bill Clinton (SG – you just don’t have enough bandwidth on this site for this one)
    Hillary Clinton (ditto)
    Governor Jim McGreevy (misappropriation of state funds for no show jobs – a 100K salary for a homeland security consultant WHO WAS A FOREIGNER FOR CRYIN’ OUT LOUD!)
    Governor Jon Corzine (100K gift to union board member who he happened to be sleepin’ with – oh by the way, the union endorsed him shortly thereafter)

    I’d go on, but I’m sure the rest of you have your own examples of democrats who skate justice. Maybe it’s because they are weaker and the press feels they need special advantages.

    • U NO HOO
      April 1, 2009 at 11:29 am

      Reality Bytes,

      Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk over you. We must have been cross pollinating at the same time in different hives.

      U NO HOO

  4. U NO HOO
    April 1, 2009 at 11:10 am

    Mr. Stevens has been punished for taking the seat from the Democrats for all those years, and power is what it is all about, now if Franken can just wipe out Coleman, all will be well in the world.

    Stevens was just doing what sebelious, daschle, geithner, etc., were doing, that is, stealing money.

    • GL0120
      April 1, 2009 at 12:15 pm

      The difference was that Stevens was a Republican and the Democrats couldn’t handle the competition.

  5. proreason
    April 1, 2009 at 11:53 am

    “Sullivan repeatedly has scolded prosecutors for failing to follow his judicial orders to fully inform defense lawyers about everything from potentially favorable evidence to the travel plans of witnesses. During the trial, prosecutorial missteps led to the judge instructing the jury to disregard some evidence. ”

    welcome to the brave new world of all-government all the time

  6. catie
    April 1, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    Gee how nice of him.

  7. Media_man
    April 1, 2009 at 3:08 pm

    It’s hard to feel sorry for a cretin like Ted Stevens but I do. As bad as he was, he’s better than the best the Dems have to offer. It doesn’t speak well for the future of America that the Dems are able to pull these ham sandwich indictments to effect political outcomes with complete impunity. They did the same thing to Tom Delay.

    • Liberals Make Great Speedbumps
      April 3, 2009 at 5:00 am

      The only reason that they get away with it is because the “Republicans” have become a bunch of gutless wonders. The Repubs will throw a fellow Repub under the bus as quickly as possible just to get along and play nice with the Dems. There truly is little to differentiate, in most cases, between the two parties anymore. And believe me I hate saying that.

  8. MinnesotaRush
    April 1, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    All three branches .. hollowed out by infectuous parasites and now rotting away in front of our eyes.

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