« previous | MUCK HOME | next »
Ted Stevens Admits Involvement In FBI Probe
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) has admitted he is involved in the FBI’s probe into Alaska lawmakers' dealings with oil services company Veco Corp.
In an interview with the Washington Post, tight-lipped Stevens said he is getting ready to hand over documents to investigators.
"They put me on notice to preserve some records," Stevens said in a brief interview about his legal team's discussions with the FBI. He declined to say what kinds of records were involved but confirmed that he had hired lawyers and that his son, former state Senate president Ben Stevens, "is also under investigation."It’s no surprise that the FBI has asked Stevens for records now that his home remodeling job overseen by Veco has caught investigators’ eye. But this does appear to be Stevens’ first official public comment about the federal probe. Stevens’ acknowledgment that his son in under investigation firms up what the press pieced together in May. Former Alaska Senate President Ben Stevens was identified by the press as “state senator B” described in the guilty pleas of two former Veco executives. The Veco executives admitted to giving Stevens about $240,000 in “consulting fees” that required no work in exchange for political favors. Stevens was the only lawmaker to fit the description.
Advertisement
Comments (10)
Rebel wrote on June 7, 2007 11:41 AM:This Republican swamp is vast and wide. It reaches all of America. It needs to be further drained in 2008.
Ed*ard Teller wrote on June 7, 2007 12:03 PM:The joke our Alaska media is becoming grows bigger by the day. While TPMMuckraker is able to report on the egregious conduct of Sen. Stevens and Rep. Young on a daily basis and elicit comments from around Alaska, the USA and world on an hourly, if not minute-by-minute basis, our media continues to write puff pieces about both of these yet-to-be-indicted criminals as if nothing has happened. While the NYT and WaPo are able to haunt these crooks in the halls of congress and follow them on the stump, our Alaska reporters only appear to be showing up dutifully at the congressmen's pre-arranged photo ops and then dictate whatever the congressmen want.
My favorite very recent example is that at the same time your TPM crew is taking apart the absurd openness of these guys' criminality - I loved Josh's layed-back "Ted Stevens's House Renovation for Dummies" piece Tuesday morning - the Anchorage Daily News can only come up with this incredibly lame puff piece:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/8947184p-8847185c.html
"Museum organizers apparently have a special interest in aviation and have a special surprise on hand for visitors: Two dozen photos from Sen. Ted Stevens' World War II years flying in Asia. The collection includes a charming photo of young Sen. Stevens, an Army Air Force officer, strumming a guitar."
Special surprise? Charming? Good friggin' grief! So I'm going to go down to Whittier to see a picture of St. Ted strumming a guitar sixty years ago? This was surely thought up in The Department of You Can't Make This Sh*t Up, where thay have to work overtime up here, lately. How about getting Sen. Stevens to answer serious questions about what he's doing now, you hapless shills?
I wrote about this last year in regard to the paucity of in-depth coverage of Rep. Don Young:
http://www.insurgent49.com/munger_young.html
"This has been handled rather poorly, in most part, by Alaska media. Alaska editors and reporters need to begin connecting the dots very, very soon in a responsible and comprehensive way on the patterns of abuse of power by our sole representative in Congress. Should Young be re-elected and then indicted for his activities without a deeper coverage of his shortcomings by the Alaska press, Young’s indictment will also be an indictment of the Alaska media’s inability or unwillingness to fully do its job."
Words more and more true every day. Come on, Alaska media, start doing your job. I know several of you out there are FINALLY reading this site. At the rate things are going, especially in the Anchorage print media, within a couple of years, we'll be able to rename an empty Anchorage Daily News building "The Ted Stevens Warehouse of Moldy Stenography."
Philip Munger
Duke Boys wrote on June 7, 2007 12:27 PM:Palmer, Alaska
VECO throws so much advertising around. Full page ads for all the oil companies. This is about BIG Oil Slush fund that was routed thru VECO in no bid high margin contracts.
Did you notice companies are not bidding on VECO's assets as a whole entity? That is because its a shell company. They never did anything right because it was a good old fashion political slush fund
KTUU and ADN editors should be indicted for complicity but just take it as incompetence. Alaska is full of losers and carpetbaggers in office, state government, media, and every institution.
Its an Oil republic where the middle class bails and no one has the balls except "gadflies" like Ray Metcalfe who call bullsh*t for 20 years! Surprisingly, the welfare class and super religious will buy into the soon to be manufactured Don and Ted sympathy PR machine about to be unleashed on KTUU and ADN
No wonder they never reformed welfare in a Republican dominated state- they needed sheep. Advertisers needed the Big Oil money
Anonymous wrote on June 7, 2007 1:35 PM:So tax dollars are being filtered to agencies and people with out over site, until now! The bridge to on where, is really a bridge to Steven's house and others! He should step down, go to jail and pay restitution to the State of Alaska and the American people for his unethical unprofessional political in sites which has landed on his front door!
I am soooo sick of Republican lies!
Richard L. Adlof wrote on June 7, 2007 2:34 PM:Am I reading more into this piece than there is if I got a wiff o' Ted ratting out his bratling to curry favor with the FiBIes.
PLEASE tell me they ain't just eating their own . . . That they are eating their young . . .
chuck wrote on June 7, 2007 3:44 PM:I'm not sure that the characterization of ADN is entirely merited. On May 29 they not only published AP coverage of the investigation but also did their own piece: http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/8947184p-8847185c.html. I have no idea if this made it into the print version or was just posted online, not sure it makes that much difference either way.
While I wouldn't attempt to make the case here that it is a shining, Pulitzer Prize eligible example of hard-hitting investigative journalism, nevertheless, it's not exactly dead-silence either. It appears to be just a tad better than the kind of a cautious, non-judgmental piece one would expect from a local newspaper like ADN when writing about a powerful politician that's been in office since the Cromagnons were youngsters and who knows well how to punish those foolish locals who might think to offend him.
The Oracle wrote on June 7, 2007 11:24 PM:What?!?! Shouldn't the FBI have raided Sen. Steven's Capitol Hill office to search for incriminating evidence just like they did in raiding Rep. William Jefferson's office.
Plus, with the glaring similarities between these two cases, shouldn't the FBI be checking Sen. Steven's freezer for any cold cash that might be hidden there?
Just sayin'. What's good for the goosee is good for the gooser...or something like that.
Duke Boys wrote on June 8, 2007 2:38 AM:Search topics for local media
wish we knew more
JL Rubini, NPS building lease
PPT vote
ELF Tax Vote
Ben & Sempco Vote on Rate increase for Natural Gas
Ted Stevens
Bill Allen
VECO executives
Seward building purchases
ADAK fisheries
Trevor McCabe
Jim Hays & Chris Hayes, former Mayor of Fairbanks, son works for Ted
Marianas Islands & Abramoff
Don Young & Florida's Coconut Road
Wisconsin Trucking company
Alaska Native Corporations, Iraq Spending, Katrina Spending, Defense Spending
(eligibility by Congress in 1986 as "minority and economically disadvantaged" businesses that could receive sole-source contracts under the Small Business Administration's § 8(a) program. The Alaska Native Corporations received a special dispensation in the 1986 law establishing their business eligibility to receive sole-source contracts regardless of value.)
CIRI lodges which Ted & Don paid nothing
enough
Concerned Sewardite wrote on July 11, 2007 11:46 PM:FYI:
Jason Moore, KTUU news is brother-in-law to Trevor McCabe who is in bed with Stevens, Jeremiah Campbell (who is partners with Trevor in a fishing/sightseeing business) Tylan Shrock Alaska Sealife Center was a college friend of Trevor McCabe.
Hmmm...Jeremiah POOF is on the Fisheries Board?
Another thing to watch for: Trevor McCabe buys then sells the land to the Alaska Sealife Center, which was able to be purchased by funds appointed by Stevens office. Insider trading?
Doesn't McCabe own land, along with Ted Steven's son-in-law near the BRIDGE TO NO WHERE?
Seward does not want nor need that kind of publicity. The politicians pockets run deep but you never know what else is in there!
Keep McCabe, Moore and Campbell out of Seward, Anchorage and the remainder of Alaska.
Jeff wrote on July 19, 2007 8:01 PM:Anyon have any good stories about Ben Stevens or Trevor McCabe that can be corroborated to show kickbacks?