TED STEVENS' UNFLATTERING END?

The lesson of the guilty verdict in Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens corruption trial was succinctly articulated by Harry Reid, the Senate Majority leader. According to Harry, “This verdict is a personal tragedy for our colleague Ted Stevens, but it is an important reminder that no man is above the law. Senator Stevens must now respect the outcome of the judicial process and the dignity of the United States Senate"

The "no man is above the law" aspect of his remarks is what does not obtain in so many countries of the world including NIGERIA where the likes of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and Olusegun Obasanjo have proved over the years to be above the law! Ibrahim Babangida at one time asked a duly constituted judicial tribunal to come to his home if they so desire his testimony. That Dele Giwa as well as Bola Ige were murdered in cold blood without any meaningful investigation speaks volume that these two men are really above and beyond the reach of Nigerian law, if any? But Senator Ted Stevens is Icheoku's object of commentary today so we must pivot back to the senator.

Senator Ted Stevens, the Senate’s longest-serving Republican and Alaska’s dominant political figure for more than four decades, was found guilty of violating federal ethics laws for failing to report gifts and services that he was given by friends. The jury of District of Columbia residents convicted Senator Ted Stevens, 84, on all seven felony counts he faced in connection with charges that he knowingly failed to list on Senate disclosure forms the receipt of some $250,000 in gifts and services used to renovate his home in Girdwood, Alaska. The home pictured here left, was remade (upgraded) under the supervision of his wife, Catherine Stevens, from A-frame cabin to a grander, two-story residence fitted with two decks, a new garage and amenities like a whirlpool, a steam room and an expensive gas grill.

The indictment charged that he had received some $250,000 in gifts and services from a longtime friend, Bill Allen, the owner of a huge oil services construction company, and gifts from other friends like a sled dog and an expensive massage chair. Mr. Allen, who was convicted for his role in a scheme to bribe Alaska state lawmakers to help his oil exploration projects, agreed to cooperate with the government and have his telephone conversations with Mr. Stevens recorded. Mr. Allen, who was the prosecution’s chief witness, testified that Mr. Stevens knew he was receiving the goods and services free and even sent an emissary to ask that no bills be sent.

Mr. Stevens’s defense was largely built on the notion that he had not asked for, and had no use for, many of the goods and services he received. In the case of the massage chair, he said it had not been a gift from Bob Persons, a friend and restaurant owner who had bought it from a Brookstone store and sent it to the Stevenses’ Washington home. It was a loan, Mr. Stevens testified, even though it had remained in his Washington home for more than seven years and he once wrote to Mr. Persons that he enjoyed using it and even fell asleep in it.

Although Senator Ted Stevens was still defiant after his conviction claiming that he was innocent but his republican party Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was more realistic, issuing a statement saying that, “Senator Stevens was found guilty by a jury of his peers, and now must face the consequences of those actions. As a result of his conviction, Senator Stevens will be held accountable so the public trust can be restored.”

In conclusion, Icheoku says that Senator Ted Stevens should be made to pay restitution, resign his seat in the senate but should not serve term. Our reason is his very advanced age coupled to his long service of over four decades for Alaska. Let Ted be allowed to spend his twilight years reminiscing about all the things he did right like this airport in Anchorage right, watching the sun set in his home rather than in the big house gritting his teeth over some gift which he should not have received. Senator Ted Stevens conviction is more than enough punishment and if Scooter Libby could be pardoned, then let Grandpa Ted enjoy the same magnanimity. But this is just our thoughts and in no way meant to affect the course of justice!

See generally this link U.S. v. Stevens: Indictment and Trial Exhibits for the full gamut of the trial.