The Stevens Trial and Aftermath

Senators Poised to Postpone Stevens’ Ouster

November 17, 2008, 2:46 P.M.

Senate GOP aides said on Monday that the short-term fate of embattled Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) could remain in doubt beyond Tuesday’s Conference meeting.

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GOP Faces Tough Slate Upon Return

November 10, 2008

Republicans return to the Senate next week to face a difficult slate of issues, chief among them what to do about Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), whose seven-count federal conviction has made him an unwanted reminder of the GOP’s recent ethical woes.

Ensign Enlists Supporters for Stevens, Other Races

November 6, 2008, 11:18 P.M.

Sen. John Ensign (Nev.), the head of the Senate GOP's campaign committee, urged financial backers to come to the aid of Sen. Ted Stevens (Alaska) and two other imperiled Republican Senators, even though Ensign said on Election Day he expected Stevens to be expelled from the Senate if voters sent him back to Washington, D.C. “If Ted Stevens happens to get re-elected, I think he will be expelled,' Ensign said Tuesday.

Stevens Could Put His Colleagues on the Spot

November 6, 2008

Sen. Ted Stevens (R) appears poised to eke out a narrow re-election victory, forcing difficult decisions upon Senate leaders who have raised the specter of expelling the Alaska lawmaker following his felony convictions in federal court last month.

Stevens Juror Lied About Father’s Death

November 3, 2008, 11:56 A.M.

The juror who was dismissed from the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to attend the funeral of her father in California admitted Monday that her father had not died, and that she went to California to attend a horse race.

Embattled Stevens to Air 2-Minute Ad on Election Eve

November 2, 2008, 5:30 P.M.

With his political life hanging in the balance, endangered Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) plans to air a special two-minute TV ad Monday evening 'to speak directly to Alaska families about his candidacy, vision for Alaska, and future in the U.S. Senate,' his campaign announced on Sunday.

Reid Says Stevens Cannot Serve

November 2, 2008, 1:07 A.M.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was forced into the middle of Sen. Ted Stevens’ (R-Alaska) re-election bid late Saturday night after a senior Senate Democrat endorsed Stevens and called on voters to disregard his seven-count felony conviction.

Judge in Stevens Case Demands Answers From Wayward Juror

October 31, 2008, 10:06 A.M.

In an odd footnote to Monday’s seven-count conviction of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the judge in the case has ordered a dismissed juror in the case to appear in court Monday to explain why she failed to respond to the court’s efforts to reach her.

Ensign Joins Call for Stevens’ Resignation

October 29, 2008, 5:07 P.M.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign (Nev.) ratcheted up his criticism Wednesday of recently convicted Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and called on him to resign.

Stevens Lawyers Ask DOJ to Investigate

October 29, 2008, 4:10 P.M.

Lawyers for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) have asked the Justice Department to launch a formal investigation into what they allege was misconduct by the prosecutors who pursued the case that ended in the Senator’s conviction Monday on seven criminal counts.

Stevens Case Puts Spotlight on Pardons

October 28, 2008, 6:07 P.M.

President Bush has three months left to issue his final round of pardons, a process that could bring him to consider whether to forgive a list of administration officials, soldiers and operatives engaged in the war on terror — and even just-convicted Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

Stevens Found Guilty on All 7 Counts

October 28, 2008

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) remained resolute Monday afternoon even as a federal jury declared him guilty on seven counts of filing false financial statements to conceal gifts worth more than $250,000.

New Juror Joins Stevens Panel

October 27, 2008, 9:46 A.M.

The judge in the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens welcomed a replacement juror to the panel Monday morning and directed the jury to start over in deliberating the Alaska Republican’s fate.

Stevens Prosecuted Under Law He Helped Write

October 24, 2008, 7:52 A.M.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is being prosecuted under a provision of law that he helped rewrite in 1996 to reinstate the Justice Department’s ability to bring charges against people who make false statements to Congress.

Stevens Trial Faces Another Jury Drama

October 23, 2008, 8:04 P.M.

Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan indicated Thursday night that he may activate an alternate juror in the criminal trial of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R).

After Day 2, No Verdict From Jury

October 23, 2008, 5:00 P.M.

The jury in the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) adjourned shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday after sending a note to the judge saying they have “given the evidence consideration and have exhausted ourselves for the day.”

Judge Declines to Dismiss Juror

October 23, 2008, 3:07 P.M.

The judge in the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) called the jury back into the courtroom Thursday afternoon to remind them of their obligation to deliberate with “civility and mutual respect” after the foreman requested the dismissal of one juror who was engaging in “violent outbursts.”

Judge Sends Stevens Jury Back to Work

Jurors Seek Clarity on Disclosure Rules

October 23, 2008, 12:53 P.M.

The jury in the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has asked the judge to clarify the rules regarding reporting of liabilities on annual Congressional financial disclosure forms.

DSCC Urges Candidates to Hit Ties to Stevens

October 23, 2008, 11:57 A.M.

Senate Democrats are prepping their candidates on how to respond to the upcoming verdict on Sen. Ted Stevens’ (R-Alaska) corruption trial, instructing them not to “lose the opportunity to link your opponent to their now-convicted colleague” if the jury finds him guilty before Election Day.

Stevens Jury Begins Day 2

October 23, 2008, 10:26 A.M.

The jury in the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has begun its second day of deliberations.

Judge Set a Torrid Pace for Trial

October 23, 2008

All of the arguments and evidence in the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) have been exhausted, and so, too, have been most of the participants.

Stevens Jury Calls It a Day

October 22, 2008, 4:44 P.M.

The jury in the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) ended its deliberations early Wednesday, telling the judge around 4 p.m. that consideration of the case was becoming “stressful” and they needed “a minute of clarity.”

Prosecution Wraps; Case Goes to Jury

October 21, 2008, 5:25 P.M.

After the defense completed its closing arguments in the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) claiming that the government was trying to convict an innocent man, prosecutor Brenda Morris stepped to the podium and snapped the courtroom to attention.

Stevens' Team Closes With Defense of Senator's Character

Ensign Pledges NRSC Aid if Stevens Is Acquitted

October 21, 2008, 1:04 P.M.

At least one high-level Republican thinks the verdict in the ongoing corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) will also predict the outcome of Stevens’ tough re-election battle.

Defense Blasts Case Against Stevens

October 21, 2008, 11:55 A.M.

Brendan Sullivan, the defense attorney for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), told the jury “You have an innocent man on your hands,” as he began his closing arguments in the Senator’s criminal trial.

Prosecution Calls Stevens’ Defense ‘Nonsense’

October 21, 2008, 10:22 A.M.

As closing statements got under way Tuesday in the trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Bottini said the Senator accepted “hundreds of thousands of dollars of free benefits” from his friends and that he didn’t report those gifts because he knew his friends were “trusted associates who would cover for him.”

Stevens Trial Nears Its Finale

October 21, 2008

A little after noon on Monday, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) stepped down from the witness stand in his criminal trial and placed his fate in the hands of his defense attorney and 16 strangers who make up the jury.

Stevens Jury Adjourns for the Day

October 20, 2008, 12:46 P.M.

The jury in the trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has been sent home for the day.

Closing Arguments in Stevens Trial Set for Monday

Prosecutors Ask Judge to Reject Stevens' Dismissal Request

October 19, 2008, 8:22 P.M.

Federal prosecutors urged the judge in the criminal trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to reject the Senator’s most recent motion for dismissal, arguing Sunday that in filing the motion, the defense violated the judge’s prohibition on publicizing previously secret grand jury testimony.

Stevens' Lawyers Again Ask for Dismissal

Stevens Pressed to Explain Home Renovations

October 17, 2008, 5:30 P.M.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) struggled Friday afternoon to explain how renovations appeared at his home that he claims he didn’t like and had not asked for, saying that he did not know who was doing the work or how he would be paying for it.

Stevens Becomes Emotional During Testimony

October 17, 2008, 3:41 P.M.

For the first time during the three weeks of his criminal trial, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) appeared to struggle with his emotions on Thursday as he described his wife’s brief sabbatical from work in late 2000.

Stevens Denies Scheme to Conceal Gifts

October 16, 2008, 5:23 P.M.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) took the witness stand in his criminal trial Thursday afternoon and denied that he ever intended to file false financial disclosure forms.

Catherine Stevens Unhappy With Aspects of Renovation

October 16, 2008, 12:12 P.M.

Catherine Stevens, the wife of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), testified in his criminal trial on Thursday that she was in charge of the 2000-01 renovations at their Alaska home and that she believed the carpentry company she paid employed all of the workers on the job.

Stevens and Wife to Make Case Today

Stevens Friend Likens FBI Interview to ‘Waterboarding’

October 16, 2008, 11:00 A.M.

The friend of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) who oversaw the renovation at the Senator’s Alaska home in 2000 and 2001 said his first encounter with the FBI “was like being mentally waterboarded,” which may account for any inconsistency in his answers over time.

Stevens’ Friend Says Senator Aimed to Pay Bills

Stevens May Testify Thursday

October 15, 2008, 1:04 P.M.

Lawyers for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) indicated on Wednesday that he may testify Thursday morning as the final defense witness in his criminal trial.

Witness: Stevens’ Friend Said ‘Eat’ $19,000 Bill

October 15, 2008, 11:42 A.M.

A contractor who helped renovate the home of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said the Senator’s friend who was managing the project told him to “eat” a $19,000 invoice for his work that he intended to send to the Senator.

Stevens Case Could Go to Jury Next Week

October 14, 2008, 4:54 P.M.

The judge in the trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said Tuesday that he anticipates the jury will begin deliberations early next week.

Hatch Testifies to Stevens’ Character

October 14, 2008, 3:20 P.M.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) took the stand in the criminal trial of his colleague Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and called the Alaskan “one of the true lions of the Senate. ... He’s totally honest, totally straightforward.”

Stevens’ Prosecutors Play Defense, but Rally

October 14, 2008

The federal government’s criminal prosecution of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) ran hot and cold last week — literally.

Witnesses Say Stevens Paid Bills

October 10, 2008, 1:47 P.M.

Defense attorneys for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) called witnesses from two Alaskan contracting firms that had worked on Stevens’ home renovations, who said the Senator and his wife paid them promptly and in full for every bill they were sent.

Witness Details Work Done on Stevens’ Home

October 9, 2008, 12:45 P.M.

A former welder for the now-defunct Alaskan oil services firm VECO testified Thursday that he spent hundreds of hours on company time making major renovations to Sen. Ted Stevens’ home during 2001 and 2002.

Prosecution Allowed an Additional Witness

Stevens Trial Will Go On

October 9, 2008

A visibly angry federal judge on Wednesday struck key government evidence from the trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) that he concluded was tainted, but he refused a defense motion to dismiss the trial.

Judge Refuses to Dismiss Stevens Case

Prosecutors Show Stevens’ Awareness of Renovations

October 8, 2008, 1:00 P.M.

Prosecutors in the trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on Wednesday morning showed jurors e-mails, notes and other documents in which Stevens and his friend Bob Persons discussed in detail the renovations at the Senator’s Alaska home, ranging from the pouring of concrete and adding a floor to the house to the selection of fixtures for the Jacuzzi.

Stevens’ Team to Call Colin Powell as Witness

October 8, 2008, 10:30 A.M.

Attorneys for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) announced on Wednesday that they plan to call former Secretary of State Colin Powell as a primary defense witness after the prosecution rests.

Jury Hears Tape of Payment Discussion

October 7, 2008, 5:11 P.M.

Friends of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) discussed ways to cover up the fact that former oil company executive Bill Allen was paying a plumber to repair the heating system at Stevens’ house, according to tapes of telephone conversations between Allen and others that the FBI secretly made and played for a jury on Tuesday.

Actions of Attorney Sidetrack Trial

October 7, 2008, 3:12 P.M.

The trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) was sidetracked briefly on Tuesday by a dispute over whether the government’s lead witness was being coached by his personal attorney during cross-examination.

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