BREAKING News: John McCain Calls On Convicted Felon Ted Stevens To Step Down From Senate.
Read below for the news story.
McCain calls on Stevens to step down from Senate
By Erika Bolstad
WASHINGTON — Wasting no time to separate his presidential campaign from what he described as the "corruption and insider dealing that has become so pervasive in our nation's capital," Sen. John McCain called Tuesday on his fellow Republican, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, to step down from the Senate.
A jury in Washington convicted Stevens, 84, on Monday of failing to report thousands of dollars in freebies, including renovations that doubled the size of his home. Stevens has vowed to appeal the seven felony convictions and press on with his own re-election campaign in the week leading up to the Nov. 4 election. He's only the fifth sitting senator to be convicted of such a serious crime.
"It is clear that Senator Stevens has broken his trust with the people and that he should now step down," McCain said. "I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will be spurred by these events to redouble their efforts to end this kind of corruption once and for all."
Unlike a statement that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., released Monday night, McCain's statement offered no niceties about their shared time in the Senate and expressed no sympathy for Stevens' family. Its intensity is somewhat surprising given that McCain is a fellow Republican, but not unexpected given the frosty relations the two men have long had. They've sparred over opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, McCain's opposition to earmarks and their differing positions on global warming.
Reid, who recruited Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich to run against Stevens, called the verdict "a personal tragedy for our colleague Ted Stevens." He urged Stevens to "respect the outcome of the judicial process and the dignity of the United States Senate" but he didn't suggest that Stevens step down.
McCain's call for Stevens' resignation also goes far beyond the statement of his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Hours after the verdict, Palin released a statement calling Stevens' conviction "a sad day" for Alaska, but she stopped short of demanding that he step down.
"The verdict shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil-service company that was allowed to control too much of our state," Palin said, referring to Veco Corp., which, along with its former chief executive officer, Bill Allen, paid for most of Stevens' renovations. "That control was part of the culture of corruption I was elected to fight. And that fight must always move forward regardless of party or seniority or even past service."
In her statement, Palin asked Alaskans to "join me in respecting the workings of our judicial system. I'm confident Senator Stevens will do what is right for the people of Alaska."
She wouldn't tell reporters whether she planned to vote for Stevens.
If Stevens were to resign or be expelled by his fellow senators, Palin has a potential — and complicated — role in choosing a replacement. No one in Alaska can say for sure how it would work because the state's law on senatorial succession was changed twice in 2004, once by the Legislature and once by ballot initiative.
Those laws were changed after then-Gov. Frank Murkowski's 2002 appointment of his daughter, Republican Lisa Murkowski, to his vacated U.S. Senate seat.
Both the 2004 laws call for a special election within 60 to 90 days of the vacancy. However, they disagree on whether the governor appoints an interim senator in the meantime. The Alaska Supreme Court ultimately would have to decide which law the state follows.
Editor's comment: John McCain needs to be applauded for making this call, but should we expect that the Maverick is back?
I doubt it!
In any case, Convicted Felon, Ted Stevens, needs to be "shoo-shoo"ed out of the Senate. He is an EMBARRASSMENT to the institution.
McCain calls on Stevens to step down from Senate
By Erika Bolstad
WASHINGTON — Wasting no time to separate his presidential campaign from what he described as the "corruption and insider dealing that has become so pervasive in our nation's capital," Sen. John McCain called Tuesday on his fellow Republican, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, to step down from the Senate.
A jury in Washington convicted Stevens, 84, on Monday of failing to report thousands of dollars in freebies, including renovations that doubled the size of his home. Stevens has vowed to appeal the seven felony convictions and press on with his own re-election campaign in the week leading up to the Nov. 4 election. He's only the fifth sitting senator to be convicted of such a serious crime.
"It is clear that Senator Stevens has broken his trust with the people and that he should now step down," McCain said. "I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will be spurred by these events to redouble their efforts to end this kind of corruption once and for all."
Unlike a statement that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., released Monday night, McCain's statement offered no niceties about their shared time in the Senate and expressed no sympathy for Stevens' family. Its intensity is somewhat surprising given that McCain is a fellow Republican, but not unexpected given the frosty relations the two men have long had. They've sparred over opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, McCain's opposition to earmarks and their differing positions on global warming.
Reid, who recruited Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich to run against Stevens, called the verdict "a personal tragedy for our colleague Ted Stevens." He urged Stevens to "respect the outcome of the judicial process and the dignity of the United States Senate" but he didn't suggest that Stevens step down.
McCain's call for Stevens' resignation also goes far beyond the statement of his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Hours after the verdict, Palin released a statement calling Stevens' conviction "a sad day" for Alaska, but she stopped short of demanding that he step down.
"The verdict shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil-service company that was allowed to control too much of our state," Palin said, referring to Veco Corp., which, along with its former chief executive officer, Bill Allen, paid for most of Stevens' renovations. "That control was part of the culture of corruption I was elected to fight. And that fight must always move forward regardless of party or seniority or even past service."
In her statement, Palin asked Alaskans to "join me in respecting the workings of our judicial system. I'm confident Senator Stevens will do what is right for the people of Alaska."
She wouldn't tell reporters whether she planned to vote for Stevens.
If Stevens were to resign or be expelled by his fellow senators, Palin has a potential — and complicated — role in choosing a replacement. No one in Alaska can say for sure how it would work because the state's law on senatorial succession was changed twice in 2004, once by the Legislature and once by ballot initiative.
Those laws were changed after then-Gov. Frank Murkowski's 2002 appointment of his daughter, Republican Lisa Murkowski, to his vacated U.S. Senate seat.
Both the 2004 laws call for a special election within 60 to 90 days of the vacancy. However, they disagree on whether the governor appoints an interim senator in the meantime. The Alaska Supreme Court ultimately would have to decide which law the state follows.
Editor's comment: John McCain needs to be applauded for making this call, but should we expect that the Maverick is back?
I doubt it!
In any case, Convicted Felon, Ted Stevens, needs to be "shoo-shoo"ed out of the Senate. He is an EMBARRASSMENT to the institution.
Labels: Crime, Politics, Punishment
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 11:27 AM
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