Stevens Defends Himself, Blames Others
Alaska's Sen. Ted Stevens (the Internet as a "series of tubes" guy) testified in his own defense at his corruption trial Friday, blaming the fact that he received $250,000 in free house renovations and gifts first on his wife, then family friends, and ultimately on the many responsibilities of a U.S. senator.
Alaska’s Sen. Ted Stevens (the Internet as a “series of tubes” guy) testified in his own defense at his corruption trial Friday, blaming the fact that he received $250,000 in free house renovations and gifts first on his wife, then family friends, and ultimately on the many responsibilities of a U.S. senator.
Wait, before you go…The Associated Press:
Sen. Ted Stevens told jurors on Friday that he and his wife tried to plan and oversee their home renovation project as best they could. But he suggested that some details may have gotten lost amid the busy life of a senator working thousands of miles away.
The Alaska Republican appeared as his own star witness, trying to convince jurors that he paid every bill he received and didn’t know he received any freebies during the renovations.
The 2000 remodeling project is at the heart of Stevens’ corruption trial. The Senate’s longest-serving Republican is charged with lying on Senate financial disclosure documents about more than $250,000 in renovations and other gifts he received from his friend, oil services contractor Bill Allen.
Stevens told jurors that he and his wife, Catherine, relied on their friends to oversee the project and arranged a loan to pay for it. He described making it clear that he intended to pay for everything.
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