Fun With Dick & Jane

Two stories caught my eye today. The first, about Ted Stevens, I’ve known about for a while. Seems Ted Stevens didn’t get a fair trial. The prosecutor cheated.

In July of 2008 Stevens was indicted on 7 counts of concealing gifts from a private corporation and lying about it. During the trial the prosecutor was admonished by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan for sending a subpoenaed witness back to Alaska “a move that defense lawyers asserted was intended to hide exculpatory evidence.”

As luck would have it, Steven’s trial wrapped up right before the November election. The Jury believed the prosecutor and convicted Stevens on all seven counts. The following Tuesday, election day, Stevens was defeated by a mere Democrat Mark Begich by a margin of about 3,000 votes.

On Friday there was another development in the Steven’s case.

The federal judge who presided over the trial and conviction of former Senator Ted Stevens on ethics charges ruled Friday that four Justice Department lawyers involved with the case were in contempt of court.

The judge, Emmit G. Sullivan, was angered over the failure of the Justice Department to produce 32 documents he had asked for to help him assess a statement by an F.B.I. agent who had accused the prosecution team of willfully concealing evidence helpful to the defense.

It remains to be seen if the Judge will overturn the verdict, order a new trial, or decide the prosecutor’s conduct was not material to the conviction. We can certainly speculate that if Stevens were not convicted, he would have retained his senate seat.

The second story that caught my eye is more fallout from the Rod Blagojevich scandal. Blagojevich is accused of trying to sell President Obama’s senate seat. Before he was removed from office with an impeachment conviction, he appointed democrat Roland Burris as Obama’s replacement in the Senate.

At first Harry Reid and senior Illinois senator Dick Durbin refused to seat Burris citing the appointment as “tainted”.
Burris went on a media blitz implying Reid was racist, prompting a Reid capitulation and withdrawal of his objection. Meanwhile Burris testified at the Blagojevich impeachment panel, and as we learned today, perjured himself. From Capt Ed:

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother solicited U.S. Sen. Roland Burris for up to $10,000 in campaign cash before Blagojevich named Burris to the coveted post — something Burris initially failed to disclose under oath before an Illinois House impeachment panel, records and interviews show.

We can also speculate that had Harry Reid known that Burris was communicating with Blagojevich, he would not have been allowed to take Obama’s senate seat.

If Stevens won and Burris had not been seated, most likely, the trillion dollar Porkulus bill would have been defeated.

Funny how things work out.