Sen. Stevens Blasts Prosecutors after Conviction on All Counts
Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is just as feisty after his corruption conviction as he was when he testified at trial.
In a statement issued yesterday evening, Stevens blasted prosecutors and vowed to “fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have,” reports The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.
A federal jury found Stevens guilty of all seven counts for failing to report gifts, including home improvements. Some questioned whether Stevens, known for his temper, hurt his case when he testified. He lectured the prosecutor for “making a lot of assumptions that are unwarranted” and at one point he told her, “You’re not listening to me.”
Stevens kept up the complaints in the statement. “This verdict is the result of the unconscionable manner in which the Justice Department lawyers conducted this trial,” he said.
“The prosecutors had to report themselves to the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility during the trial for ethical violations. Exculpatory evidence was hidden from my lawyers. A witness was kept from us and then sent back to Alaska. The government lawyers allowed evidence to be introduced that they knew was false.”
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan eliminated some evidence in the case because prosecutors failed to turn it over to the defense, and he instructed jurors that the government presented some evidence that it knew was false.
