DISQUS

scooter in brooklyn · 8 months ago

whats had me yelling at the tv the last couple of days are all the right wing loons who make this a predicate for steven's "innocence". we let a guilty man go free to protect the integrity of the system. why is that such a complicated concept for these morans to absorb. it is NOT time to canonize ted stevens.

GoBlue · 8 months ago

It was due to Stevens' own insistence that the trial was held before the election. Had he delayed, he could have run (and possibly won) by urging Alaskans to remember that he was innocent until proven guilty, and complaining that he was being railroaded. And his lawyers would have had more time to notice that some evidence seemed to be missing from what the prosecutors were giving them.

But of course, he was convinced that he'd be acquitted and that acquittal would make his re-election a slam dunk. When he's blaming the prosecutors, he should save some blame for himself.

Annie · 8 months ago

Bountiful, Utah.
Two female teachers accused of having sex with 13 year old boy.
The good news.... at least Utah can be proud (?) that they don't seem to be gay. ROFL
http://www.wowowow.com/relationships/two-teache...

caphillprof · 8 months ago

Was there one or more Republicans in Alaska who wanted Stevens out of the Senate after decades or a group of Republicans in Washington?

Did the government attorneys cut corners to do in Stevens? or was cutting corners standing prosecution procedure in the Republican department of justice? I'm thinking the latter.

Eric · 8 months ago

Of COURSE the Bush admin prosecutors bungled it. There were great incentives to bungle it.

Barbara Gordon · 8 months ago

Too bad that this judge is not the one hearing the Siegelman case.

bushwahd · 8 months ago

It was obvious from the beginning that this was a thrown bone to cover up for the DOJ persecution of Siegelman. Stevens was in on the deal which is why he called for the trial to happen before the election, knowing full well the fix was in and he'd be acquitted and sail on to vic-to-ree and nobody could touch his stuff.

But, and this is the hilarious part, even the Rethuglicans couldn't predict how incompetent their own people could be. Katrina-in-a-courtroom baby! That's what happens when you appoint true believers whose JD is from Jesus Online Massage & Law School.

okojo · 8 months ago

No, This has nothing to do with the prosecution of Governor Siegelman. The investigation started in Alaska, and pretty much involved members of the Alaska State Legislature, with Ted Stevens's son, Ben in the middle of the investigation.

This has to do with more of the Rentier State of Alaska, when a state lives off its income from natural resources as Alaska does with oil. Rentier State soon falls into a mire of corruption, as Alaska has done, whether it is Ted Stevens, Frank Murkowski or the head of the State Republican party.

The charges were pretty straightforward, and it showed how corrupt Senator Stevens was, and how arrogant he is, by thinking he was above the law.

Much of the imbroglio with the DOJ section that tried Stevens, is that there was power struggle of who was in control of the investigation, where the main headquarters should be located, and the prosecutors who took it over, were way over their heads, and tried to cover it up, by playing hardball, which backfired. Sending Bill Allen home without telling the defense was really a boneheaded move.

Ruthless Gravity · 8 months ago

What?

All those great lawyers from Pat Robertson's Regent University didn't know what the hell they were doing?

I'm shocked!

shell · 8 months ago

Could it be that it is as easy as ... childhood spats? (Oh, the GOP are adults! Right? hahaha)

Stevens and Palin hated each other. Is it that hard to think Palin was behind this? I think not.

okojo · 8 months ago

i don't think Stevens and Palin hated each other, as much as they are leery and respectful of each other's power. Many of Stevens cronies despise Palin, because before she ran for VP, she pretty much was trying to root out some of State Republican Stalwarts like Randy Ruedrich.

Representative Don Young hates Palin, because she had her Lt. Governor run against him in the Republican Primary. I don't think Lisa Murkowski is exactly wild about Palin, but it is probably more in air traffic holding position, ready to pounce on Palin, if Palin is making an aim for her Senate Seat.

Steve_in_CNJ · 8 months ago

John, "begs" the question doesn't mean "raises" the question. The more we misuse the phrase, the more we weaken the language.
http://begthequestion.info/

RepubAnon · 8 months ago

My guess is that someone in the Republican establishment didn't like Stevens, and expected him to resign so that one of their minions could be named as a replacement in time to win the election. When he didn't resign, they wanted to make sure they won.

The truly interesting thing is the light this shines on the "fairness" of the Guantanamo hearings - where the tactics used in the Stevens case would be permitted for "national security" grounds. Interesting how outraged the right wingers are about the prosecution's withholding of exculpatory evidence in the Stevens case, yet they find nothing objectionable about it at detainee hearings.

okojo · 8 months ago

No, the corruption in Alaska was so endemic, and so deep, that it was too difficult to ignored, especially after the FBI raids on Alaskan Legislatures' offices. The FBI had enough evidence to indict many for taking bribes, including Ben Stevens, and of course Bill Allen.

Jack DeVaney · 8 months ago

I say they botched it on purpose. They appeared nonpartisan with the prosecution, knowing full well that the case would be tossed on appeal.

Older_Wiser · 8 months ago

The way the Bush regime abused the law isn't a surprise, considering the incompetents he hired, from Gonzales on down. Ideology driven by fundies was the most important; not to say they weren't clever enough to botch Stevens' prosecution. Cleverness too often replaced intelligence, education, integrity and honesty in the Bush regime.

Those Bushie prosecutors were hoisted on their own hubris.

ProgressiveTroll · 8 months ago

They screwed it up on purpose. DUH. These people aren't as stupid as they project. It's amazing to me the number of Dems who don't see that. And we wonder why the country is in the shitter.

Coltergeist · 8 months ago

I am in agreement with everyone here that thinks the prosecution of former Sen. Stevens was way too bad to be an accident. As a lawyer, it is rudimentary that all information is shared with the defense. It is far better to give them more information and hope that they don't see the significance of this or that statement (discovery by avalanche) than to give too little and invite a worthy appeal. They even had multiple opportunities where they "goofed" up and were taken to task by the judge. But they still kept doing it wrong. If it was mere incompetence, their higher ups should have replaced them.

I only hope the lawyers were true believer Regent law types. It would be unfortunate if they were just newbie attorneys thrown into the shark tank and advised by political appointees. If it is the latter, I hope they have the good sense to roll on their superiors.

The DOJ is supposed to be free of politics. When politics are used to make decisions in criminal prosecution, that is corruption, plain and simple. "politicization" is a panzy cop out. You used improper motives to use the apparatus of the state to persecute an individual or ruin a worthwhile prosecution. That is corruption. No money need change hands.

GoBlue · 8 months ago

Their ultimate higher-ups were Gonzales and Mukasey. No wonder nobody at DOJ knew the rules of discovery.

stoic · 8 months ago

Was it deliberate? And did they think they (the prosecutors) would get away with it because every bad actor in the Bush admin got away with fucking up governance. I can't help thinking that the best way to protect a thoroughly corrupt senator is to FU his prosecution.

phil · 8 months ago

The two lawyers heading up the public corruption unit at DOJ are still there, retained by the Obama administration.

RainbowPhoenix · 8 months ago

My inner conspiracy theorist is screaming bloody murder.

Karen · 8 months ago

What Holder's dropping of the charges against Stevens and the investigation that Sullivan has ordered into prosecutorial misconduct does is allow us to get a look at how the Bush justice deparment operated in an indirect way. This really is pretty good: Independent prosecutor, Stevens case rather than Siegelman (sp?) so the right-wing can't call partisan foul, helps to illustrate how willing prosecuters within this department were to cook the books, so to speak. The charges against Stevens should be dropped -- use it as a vehicle to get at the conduct. The Stevens case is the perfect platform on which to blow the Bush DOJ wide open. Very wily, if done intentionally. I think this is gonna be bigger than people realize right now, and a whole lot bigger than Stevens getting off.

English Speaker · 8 months ago

No, it doesn't beg a lot of questions. It *raises* a lot of questions, but it doesn't beg any questions at all.

okojo · 8 months ago

It sounds like the prosecution weren't ready to go to trial, and needed a couple more months to prepare their case. It also sounds like it would had been easier to have the team in Anchorage than in
Washington, even though they would had lost the case in a trial in
Anchorage.

I see more sloppy lawyering combine with the pressure to win, for the prosecutors' bossess and their own egos, than malicious intent. They should be investigated, because they were sloppy and disorganized.

Cheryl · 8 months ago

That's what happens when you fill Justice with incompetents.

richardo cabeza · 8 months ago

It"s obvious they fucked up on purpose. Ted was a POS crook.