Did Sen. Ted Stevens rat out Dick Cheney? Oooophs!

[L. Coyote]

This is hilarious, from a former federal corruption prosecutor,

"prosecutors may not have had evidence that Stevens was behind Cheney's letter, before Stevens confirmed it to Newsweek."

TPM: Why Didn't DOJ Name Cheney in Stevens Filing?
By Zachary Roth - August 25, 2008 - http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/why_d...

We learned over the weekend, via Newsweek, that there's a Dick Cheney connection to the Ted Stevens case. But are federal prosecutors looking the other way?

.... when it comes to Stevens calling on Cheney, the prosecutors -- who are from the Department of Justice's Public Integrity Section, and the U.S. attorney's office in Alaska -- go strangely silent.

One former government prosecutor we spoke to said he could see little reason why the link to Cheney wouldn't have been mentioned. The most charitable explanation, the ex-prosecutor said, is that the government thought that bringing in Cheney would unnecessarily bog the case down. The least charitable is that they were "trying to protect Cheney."

Another former federal corruption prosecutor agreed, writing in an email to TPMMuckraker: .............

A DOJ spokesperson did not immediately return a call for comment.

Here is a thread with lots more info on the new Cheney case:

Cheney's Link to Sen. Ted Stevens Corruption Trial
Source: Newsweek Periscope
The Veep’s Pipeline Push - Michael Isikoff and Tony Hopfinger - Aug 23, 2008

A two-year-old letter by Vice President Dick Cheney that pushed a controversial Alaska natural-gas pipeline bill is getting renewed scrutiny because of recently disclosed evidence in the Justice Department's corruption case against Sen. Ted Stevens. In a conversation secretly tape-recorded by the FBI ....
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3451607

[Canuckistanian]

1. K&R for more visibility

I'll have to read the whole thing later.

[arthritisR_US]

2. ditto! n/t

[Hekate]

3. Kick

:kick:

[liberalla]

4. HA!

K & R!!!

[Disturbed]

5. Stephens called Cheney to put pressure on the Oil Deal.

Will either be going to prison?

[L. Coyote]

6. The seven charges against Stevens carry mandatory prison terms.

I suppose that is why they brought those charges instead of bribery.
It is likely they are seeking to obtain Stevens cooperation to obtain evidence against other conspirators.

[spanone]

7. 'Department of Justice's Public Integrity Section' bwahahahahhaaaaa

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[L. Coyote]

8. OhMyGov: Cheney played role in yet another scandal

Cheney played role in yet another scandal
Andrew Brett - Aug 26 2008 - http://ohmygov.com/blogs/general_news/archive/2008/08/26/cheney-played-role-in-yet-another-scandal.aspx


.... On June 25, 2006, the FBI taped a conversation from between Stevens and Bill Allen ... discussing ways to get a natural gas pipeline bill passed by the Alaska state legislature. According to the Justice Department, Stevens said he intended on getting some Washington "bigwigs" to help push the bill through.
Two days later, in a rare exchange between the White House and a state governing body, Cheney sent a letter to the Alaska legislature asking them to pass the pipeline bill.

Justice Department prosecutors seem content going after Senator Stevens alone for now, intending to show that Stevens used his political influence a la Cheney to push legislation for a wealthy oil executive who paid Stevens off for his efforts. But given Cheney's proximity to prominent members of the power and gas lobby, it's not unreasonable to suspect greater involvement. As of yet, the Justice Department has not commented on whether or not they intend to include the Vice President in the Stevens investigation.

[L. Coyote]

9. Stevens Challenges Efforts to Strengthen the Case Against Him

Stevens Challenges Efforts to Strengthen the Case Against Him
Kathleen Hunter CQPolitics.com, DC - http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000002940936


5 minutes ago - Sen. Ted Stevens is punching back ....

Prosecutors said earlier this month that they planned to bring up the Florida real estate transaction, which they allege resulted in a $31,000 interest-free loan to Stevens and, eventually, $100,000 in profit on the deal.

But in their filings with the court, Stevens’ lawyers said there was nothing illegal about the Florida transaction and nothing about it that had anything to do with “ the senator’s alleged concealment of things of value he received from Veco.”

Stevens’ lawyers are also trying to block efforts by prosecutors to introduce evidence related to allegations that the senator asked former VECO head Bill Allen to purchase a backup generator for Stevens’ Girdwood, Alaska home in 1999, and that Allen provided gifts to Stevens’ children and grandchildren.

[L. Coyote]

11. Roll Call: Stevens Seeks to Limit Prosecutors’ Evidence (and releases some!)

Stevens Seeks to Limit Prosecutors’ Evidence
Jennifer Yachnin - August 26, 2008 - http://www.rollcall.com/news/27597-1.html


.... Stevens is scheduled to go on trial Sept. 22 on seven counts of filing false financial statements to conceal the receipt of more than $250,000 in gifts .... in an e-mail issued in September 2006, one day after FBI agents executed search warrants ... Stevens wrote an e-mail to a “Person A,” stating: “... releases say the FBI served a warrant in Girdwood??? Did they hit our house? T.”

Sullivan argued that Stevens’ concerns were not out of line, writing: “Sen. Steven’s son spent a significant amount of time at the Senator’s Girdwood residence. Accordingly, when Sen. Stevens learned that authorities had search an unnamed location in Girdwood, he reasonably asked whether that location was his house.”

.... Stevens also released the text of two other e-mails ... In the messages, Stevens advises “Person A” on how to proceed before the grand jury, recommending that he hire an attorney and writing in one e-mail: “If they know you have legal advice, they will be more careful.”

“I seriously doubt you are going to be a target on the chalet ...” Stevens wrote. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Persons filed the city permits needed in July 2000 for the remodeling of Stevens’ home.

“Again, don’t let them rattle you and don’t answer questions you don’t KNOW the answers to,” Stevens continued in his e-mail. “They have lots of info from Bill — I do not know the scope of that so far as you are concerned. They gave me a two page single spaced list of issues and people they were interested in And, they have asked for a ‘voluntary search agreement’. We have not agreed ot that yet. I told the lawyers I didn’t have anything to hide but they are resisting trying to get the Feds to issue specific subject subpoenas. Twice before in the situation you are in I answered questions before the grand jury and answered their questions and that was the end of it. I hope this is the end for you also. best teds .”....

[MadrasT]

10. Kicked for the Dick n/t

:kicked: