"US draws line from senator to company; Alaska's Stevens, contractor linked" by Matt Apuzzo, Associated Press | August 16, 2008
WASHINGTON - FBI agents spent years investigating Senator Ted Stevens. They read his e-mails, searched his home and taped his phone conversations with his friends.
How does it feel to be one of us, Ted?
This week, the Justice Department offered its first public glimpse at what it uncovered: a direct line of communication from a corrupt Alaska oil contractor to one of the nation's most powerful senators. When VECO Corp. executives needed help securing business, winning grants, or navigating the bureaucracy, they called Stevens.
And when Stevens needed a new generator for his house, a car for his daughter or a job for his son, prosecutors say he called VECO, the same company that oversaw an extensive renovation project on his home.
The Justice Department didn't bring charges against Stevens for any of that, but they want jurors to see the evidence. Stevens goes on trial next month, not for bribery but for concealing the renovation project and other gifts on Senate financial disclosure forms.
In court documents filed Thursday night, prosecutors laid out a series of things they want to discuss at trial, including the senator's help pushing oil-friendly legislation in Alaska and a 2001 condo deal in which Stevens allegedly parlayed a $5,000 investment into a $103,000 profit in a matter of months.
Like Hillary's stock tip/deal, huh?
The oil legislation has become the cornerstone of the government's investigation. Two VECO executives, founder Bill Allen and vice president Rick Smith, have pleaded guilty to bribing sympathetic legislators with cash, jobs and gifts to push for a state oil tax deal and construction of a natural gas pipeline.
AmeriKa's political system: ROTTEN to the CORE!!!
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