Sen. Stevens off the hook, and that’s good
I’m glad to see this. I have no fondness for former Sen. Ted Stevens, who clearly abused his power and used public money to reward friends and campaign contributors. But I’m glad his conviction was overturned, and I’m even happier that the federal prosecutors who mishandled his case may be exposed to crimininal prosecution themselves.
Prosecutorial misconduct occurs too often and is too seldom punished appropriately. Their job is to help determine the truth, not hang scalps on a wall, which seems to be what they were after in this case.
“A federal judge this morning tossed out the conviction of former senator Ted Stevens and assigned an outside lawyer to investigate allegations of misconduct by the prosecutors who tried him on public corruption charges.
In throwing out the October conviction, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan called accusations that prosecutors mishandled evidence and witnesses “shocking and disturbing.” In his 25 years on the bench, the judge said he had “never seen anything approaching the mishandling and misconduct in this case.” He then urged Attorney General Eric H. Holder to better train prosecutors about the requirements for turning over evidence to defense lawyers that may help their case…..
During the two-hour hearing, the judge said he couldn’t trust the Justice Department to conduct an internal probe into the actions of prosecutors. So, the judge said, he was taking the rare step of starting criminal contempt proceedings and appointed an outside attorney, Henry F. Schuelke III, to investigate the misconduct allegations. After gathering evidence, Schuelke will submit a report to the judge with a recommendation on whether to hold the prosecutors in contempt for violating court rules.”
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61 comments Add your comment
RealityKing
April 7th, 2009
3:18 pm
Clearly!??
Tell us Jay.., how has Stevens used public money to reward friends and campaign contributors??
ByteMe
April 7th, 2009
3:20 pm
RealityKing: does the “bridge to nowhere” ring a bell? Do your homework.
RealityKing
April 7th, 2009
3:23 pm
Who appointed these prosecutors??
Corporal
April 7th, 2009
3:25 pm
Jay:
Let the chips fall where they may but I think a better course of action would have been a new trial with new prosecutores.
OFF TOPIC:
“Obama said Monday that ‘one of the great strengths of the United States’ is that it does not consider itself ‘a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation’. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.”
This is quite a sad statement. What ideals and values is he talking about? Of course the U.S. is not a “theocracy” as our founding fathers did not want that. But it is a nation built on Judeo/Christian morality, ideals and values. We’re not perfect but our values, ideals and laws come from that. To believe or insist otherwise is to deny reality and to stick one’s head in the sand of revisionist history.
The United States, even with our faults, is the “best” nation that has done more for mankind in general than any other nation who has existed on planet earth. That didn’t come from sun worship, idol worship or Islam. It came from who our forefathers were and what they believed about the worth of the INDIVIDUAL vs. the “state” or some despotic political or religious “ruler”.
To not have said “this country is founded on Judeo/Christian values and we welcome yours as long as they equate to those same principles” is to truly deny our heritage.
But ………. it’s what I expected from this President.
fearless fosdick
April 7th, 2009
3:25 pm
REALITY…Simple answer to a simple question…the Bush administration.
RealityKing
April 7th, 2009
3:25 pm
One mans bridge to nowhere is anothers job stimulus plan ByteMe. i.e…, Obama is 1T times guiltier
Corporal
April 7th, 2009
3:26 pm
Excuse me: “prosecutors”.
radiowxman
April 7th, 2009
3:27 pm
All the better that the good senator was replaced by a democrat, right?
Look, I think Sen. Stevens (along with Byrd) represents the worst of what US senators can be and do. Seems just a little fishy to me now, however, that they happened to ramp up this campaign just before the election. Regardless, first Blogo, and now this. Federal prosecutors should probably review how they go after public officials.
Paul
April 7th, 2009
3:29 pm
Jay,
Agree.
[[Their job is to help determine the truth, not hang scalps on a wall, which seems to be what they were after in this case.]]
Didn’t someone make the same point about ’special prosecutors’ like Ken Starr and Patrick Fitzgerald?
RealityKing
April 7th, 2009
3:30 pm
To bad the judge can’t starting criminal contempt proceedings against the foaming media circus that enabled these prosecutors. Oh wait…, progressive media outlets are already crumbling from being shunned by the American people.
fearless fosdick
April 7th, 2009
3:34 pm
Here’s a little factoid that I assume you were unaware of……
Deficit Now $1.8 Trillion
To put that in perspective, you’d have to work 1.8 trillion years at one dollar a year to earn that much.
Corporal
April 7th, 2009
3:35 pm
Jay:
One more point. Had this been your “average” individual, he would have already been sentenced and serving his time.
We all know what happens if you have the name and the money ………
@@
April 7th, 2009
3:42 pm
Testing….testing…
Have I been banned, jay?
Post after post (mine) have been failing to appear.
I Report/ You Whine
April 7th, 2009
3:45 pm
There, there, Bookman, don’t take Senator Steven’s demise so hard now, buck up.
Yeah boy, a man’s career and life in ruins, one less R in the Senate and now the crocodile tears are flowing for us, aren’t we just blessed?
ew
Paul
April 7th, 2009
3:46 pm
@@
Ya gotta use emoticons…
RW-(the original)
April 7th, 2009
3:48 pm
What’s this??? Sounds like they kind of like the guy.
Corporal
April 7th, 2009
3:49 pm
Copyleft:
Be sure and check my answer to your 2:58 “Gates Right to end F-22 Contract” …………..
@@
April 7th, 2009
3:50 pm
I demand an apology for the incompetence of this server.
I’m off to the forest in search of RW.
Due to the sheer frustration of dealing with this server, my happy hour starts NOW!
Pomegranite juice and club soda.
Mrs. Godzilla
April 7th, 2009
3:51 pm
Good thing!
Now can they take a peek a Siegelman, Minor, etc…..?
@@
April 7th, 2009
3:54 pm
@@
Ya gotta use emoticons
Yea….uh huh! Don’t think I didn’t see the “little critter” you left downstairs.
You’re just askin’ for trouble, aren’t ‘ya Paulo?
—>?<—
Low Rent
April 7th, 2009
3:55 pm
This just in-Protesters cry foul during home foreclosure sale in Fulton County. Solid Citizens I’m sure-NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
DB, Gwinnettian
April 7th, 2009
3:59 pm
If anyone’s curious, about this Henry F. Schuelke III person who’s been asked to lead the inquiry…
Biography: Military Judge, U.S. Army Judiciary, 1970-1972. Assistant U.S. Attorney, 1972-1979 and Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, 1976-1979, District of Columbia. General Counsel, The National Society for Autistic Children, 1980-1990. Special Counsel: District of Columbia Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure, 1982—; U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 1980-1981; U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics, 1989-1991. Member, Committee on Grievances, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia.
Military: Capt., JAGC, U.S. Army, 1968-1972
DB, Gwinnettian
April 7th, 2009
4:03 pm
Speaking of Senators, Franken now officially leads Coleman by 312.
Paul
April 7th, 2009
4:10 pm
RW-(the original)
Second comment I read underneath that vid was “crackers cheering….”
Many of the rest illustrated the difference between poll numbers and BDS.
Rangers won.
@@
Who, me?
DB, Gwinnettian
and the number of votes still sealed that a candidate couldn’t prove should be counted is….
RW-(the original)
April 7th, 2009
4:12 pm
Wondeful…It seems the governments new plan has been tested already.
Before we go there, what will happen with these banks when they can bid on each other’s assets? Let’s do a thought exercise. Let’s say you are a bidder for Bank A. You know your banking asset is worth $50, and you also know the asset Bank B has is worth $50. You call your buddy up, the trader at B, and make a deal. Happens all the time. You go to bid, and you bid $80 for B’s asset. Then you wait. If B doesn’t come through, you are screwed out a lot of money. And hey, isn’t this wrong? Well, you are pretty sure one of those Rubin-protégé government whiz-kids has given someone who knows someone you know a wink-wink about this. You take a drink, steady the nerves. Then, the bid comes back for your asset – $80 from B. You have each bid up each others assets and traded them. And now the government is screwed. Let’s chart out that payment:
We’re now running on the Enron model.
Redneck Convert
April 7th, 2009
4:14 pm
Well, I guess this Corporal is one of the people that use to write in to Parade magazine and complain about unmarried women being in the “Fambly Way” and such. Heck, he makes us rednecks up here in Forsyth County look like wild-eyed libruls. I guess he knelt and prayed over the Vietnam people he kilt just to be sure he was on the Right Side.
Anyhow, the Supreme Court ought to throw the Alaska election out and make them hold a new one so the godly Sen. Stevens can get his seat back. I bet this Begich that replaced him ain’t bringing home any bacon to the folks. Maybe a old used outhouse or something. The Alaska people got screwed, blued and tattooed in that deal. They’ll have to spend their big oil checks to build their own roads instead of counting on their Senator to get the feds to do it for them.
Well, I’m about to finish my run for the day and then head home to watch Fox News. You can’t get the Truth from any other channel. Besides, Fox hires the finest looking women you’ll ever see. I never realized there was that many good looking blonds in the whole world.
Have a good night everybody.
@@
April 7th, 2009
4:16 pm
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, refused to meet with the Obama administration’s special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen, during the two U.S. officials’ visit to Islamabad on April 7 . Earlier, Mullen and Holbrooke met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani and Nawaz Sharif, leader of the country’s largest opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
Islamabad carefully stage-managed this unprecedented snub by the ISI chief as a means of telegraphing its resentment over a number of issues brewing between Washington and Islamabad. These issues include criticism from Mullen and U.S. Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus, who said the ISI is still dealing with the Taliban and al Qaeda; increasing U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle strikes in the Pakistani tribal belt — the Obama administration’s strategy of treating Afghanistan and Pakistan as one theater — and the United States’ move to involve India in Afghanistan. The snub is also part of an emerging consensus between Pakistan’s military and civilian government that Islamabad needs to increase its bargaining power with the United States as an ally in the war against militant Islamists. — Stratfor
Obama’s War is off to a great start.
Dusty
April 7th, 2009
4:28 pm
Now all you liberals can sit down and recover from your state of shock. Bookman is pleased that a convicted Republican senator is off the hook and waiting for salvation to follow. Yes, indeed, Bookman is as pleased as Punch at all this rightousness.
Why? Because ERIC HOLDER, Mr.Brave Defender of the Law & Attorney General is a long time Democrat of fame and fashion. He influenced Pres. Clinton to pardon criminal character Marc Rich. He was a good aquaintance of Blogojevich. During a February 2009 speech for the NAACP, he called the USA “a nation of cowards” on the subject of racism. He has passed all the training for good liberal law and hurdle jumping.
So Steven..errr..who?? You know. The one ERIC HOLDER dumped the legal proceedings. Oh yes. The one ERIC HOLDER “saved” right after Stevens lost his election by a vote or two.
Yes, that upright ERIC HOLDER saved that ol’ gentleman up in Alaska from a fate worse than death i.e. reelection as a Republican.
As Bookman explains it, “Mighty fine! Mighty fine!”
Corporal
April 7th, 2009
4:30 pm
To Redneck Convert:
“Well, I guess this Corporal is one of the people that use to write in to Parade magazine and complain about unmarried women being in the “Fambly Way” and such. Heck, he makes us rednecks up here in Forsyth County look like wild-eyed libruls. I guess he knelt and prayed over the Vietnam people he kilt just to be sure he was on the Right Side.”
I “assume” the above was directed at me regarding my 3:25 post? If so, would you like to debate the issue of the founding/values of our country?
If it wasn’t directed at me, please disregard.
Jake
April 7th, 2009
4:35 pm
Very strange, why would Jay prefer the constitutionally guaranteed due process of law (what Stevens got) over ‘justice’ (what he should have gotten)? It’s usually the conservatives that think law and order and due process equate to justice.
Pogo
April 7th, 2009
4:37 pm
The big banks are now trying to give the TARP money back to the taxpayers. A good many of them were forced to take the money from the government under the threat of a dreaded FDIC/Treasury audit. An FDIC audit of a bank basically spells death to that bank. Public trust is gone and with it, its operating capital. The audit threat was used as a club by the government extortionists in the Treasury who are seeking control of most everything in our lives. Now, Obaama & Co. won’t allow the banks to pay the money back. Why would that be? Because, if you control the money, you control the people. This same method/ploy has been used by some of the great facists (Hitler, Mussolini) in our history. Our rights are flying out the window on a daily basis in Washington and it is happening with a 63% approval rating from the citizens of this country. The fact is is that most people in this country really don’t know what is going on and that they vote mostly on selfish causes such as race, support for a political party or the “glamour factor” (which is truly sad). They certainly do not select the people that are best for this country because if they did, 95% of the people now serving, including Obama, would have never made it to Washington.
Reebok
April 7th, 2009
4:42 pm
OFF TOPIC – but still topical…thank you, Vermont.
Lost in MN
April 7th, 2009
4:47 pm
DB@4:03-1st Jesse the Body Ventura,now Al Franken,next Dennis Rodman! Minnesota Tourism Ad-Come visit our Freak Show!!! Can we trade Minnesota?
I Report/ You Whine
April 7th, 2009
4:50 pm
Haha, what did I tell you?-
‘You’re seeing the Wall Street guys suffer, but it’s a trickle-down effect,’ said Tony Femia, who owns Femia Landscaping and Site Development. ‘I have clients who are billionaires, clients who are famous, and the small guy, too–they’re all cutting back.’ “–news story, New York Times, April 4
The very dimwits whom voted for Obozo are getting sent back to where they came from, go find a job on the other side of the border, klown.
Beat up the “rich” and bite the hand that feeds you, duh.
caz1158
April 7th, 2009
4:50 pm
Pogo- The sound you can’t hear is me clapping!!!! Very WEll Done!!! Also don’t forget the Media factor in dumbing down America.
Bosch
April 7th, 2009
4:52 pm
Lost in MN,
If that Bachman woman goes too, then sure thing.
Class of '98
April 7th, 2009
4:53 pm
I wonder if Redneck Convert realizes that Forsyth is one of the most affluent counties in the state?
I doubt it.
Lost in MN
April 7th, 2009
4:57 pm
Hey Spark Plug- Even this conservative agree’s with you on that one!
Paul
April 7th, 2009
5:00 pm
Bosch
The director’s commentary on Twilight is worthless. Like a couple of schoolgirls at a slumber party. BSG was great – this is why we staged the scene that way, notice the head turn there, that kind of stuff. I saw the movie before I read the book so after I read I was looking for stuff in the movie. Remember when Bella first walks into bio lab and Edward covers his nose? You know the significance. Director’s commentary: yak yak yak on something unrelated. Scene goes by. Yak yak yak.
Don’t waste your time.
Corporal
April 7th, 2009
5:04 pm
Well now, you libs think this through:
HEADLINE/ABC News (Karen Travers Reports): “Vice President Biden says that his predecessor Dick Cheney is “dead wrong” in his claim that the Obama Administration’s foreign policies have made the U.S. less safe and said the nation is safer now than at any time in the last eight years.”
O.K. – time for a little logic here.
If we are “safer now” that’s good but “safe is safe” (i.e., safe under the Bush Administration and safer under the Obama Administration). If you’re “safe” at home plate by an inch or three steps you still “safe”.
However, if something “does” happen then we weren’t “safer” by Biden’s standards were we?
Time will tell ……………
Paul
April 7th, 2009
5:09 pm
Corporal
Actually, I’d say VP Biden’s use of word ’safer’ means he thinks that during the last eight years under Pres Bush there was risk. More risk than under the last few months of the Obama Administration. To say car A is ’safer’ than car B mans that car B has more risk.
After all, we all know how careful our VP is when he chooses his words…
Frederick Douglass
April 7th, 2009
5:17 pm
Corporal you sound almost hopeful that something catasrophic will happen. Is the catbird seat that valuable?
Dusty
April 7th, 2009
5:18 pm
Class of ‘98,
You do know that RedNeck lives in a members only golf course community ? He owns a trailer ’bout like I own a stretch limousine. His hobby in retirement is his undercover work as an imposter. He tries hard. A bit repetitious on the Southern ignorant bit. Southerners have seen this act so many times. We understand the envy!
Frederick Douglass
April 7th, 2009
5:19 pm
Correction CATASTROPHIC.
I Report/ You Whine
April 7th, 2009
5:19 pm
The Vermont House on Thursday passed a same-sex marriage bill by 95-52, which is not enough of a margin to override a veto promised by the governor.
Somewhere, Trashman weeps.
hahahahaha
I Report/ You Whine
April 7th, 2009
5:23 pm
Aahhh, yes, our little Special Olympian, he does have his admirers-
“Obama is a flicker of hope in the middle of the imperialist darkness,” Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said, adding: “There is a fear that they would liquidate him as they liquidated Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln.”
Oh, how sweet.
@@
April 7th, 2009
5:24 pm
I expect, at any moment, that my five — count ‘em FIVE!!! previous posts (identical) will burst forth from jay’s SPAM folder and cover this site. No links! No offensive crap!
Get’cha forks ready people!
Low Rent
April 7th, 2009
5:26 pm
IR/YW, Nothing could be better than a RINGING ENDORSEMENT from a LUNATIC!!!!!! Did Barry bow to Gaddafi too??????
AmVet
April 7th, 2009
5:31 pm
I’m reasonably sure that a year or so ago most Americans probably had no clue about Alaska or her politics.
Other than an occasional headline about bridges to nowhere, drunks running tankers onto the rocks and creating ecological disasters and assorted petrochemical payoffs.
But in a very short time the 49th state has become yet another Republican embarrassment.
Granted, this one with an attractive but vacuous pin up girl.
And surprisingly (or not), just like Dixie, is apparently full of meth-snorters, pregnant teenagers, assorted trailer trash and uneducated lamebrain “conservatives”.
Palin/Jindal 2012!
Or is it Jindal/Palin 2012?
This just keeps getting better and better…
Low Rent
April 7th, 2009
5:42 pm
AMVet****Sort of like the losers in vietnam that spent their time F***up on hasish,impregnating the local female population, then left. Ring A Bell?