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Stevens' Financial Clerk Testifies Before Grand Jury
A Senate clerk for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) has testified before a grand jury about the remodeling of the senator's home overseen by Veco, the AP reports.
The Commerce Committee clerk, Barbara Flanders, who assisted Stevens with his personal financial records, also handed over documents related to the senator's finances and testified to what she knew about how the murky home remodeling project bills were paid.
Flanders is not the first Capital Hill staffer to be brought in to the investigation. Some of Stevens' former aides have already been questioned by the FBI.
Stevens has arftully claimed he paid every bill he received for the work done on his house. But the contractor on the job has described a suspicious payment process. The contractor, Augie Paone, said he would submit invoices to Veco (the major oil services company up in Alaska) and then would receive payment from Stevens. Paone also said the checks were all coming from a special account set up for the job.
The AP also confirms that Interior Department investigators have joined in the investigation, probing a series of earmarks Stevens obtained: "The Interior Department's inspector general and the Commerce Department have also joined the case to investigate Stevens' connections with a Seward, Alaska, marine science organization that operates the Alaska SeaLife Center."
Comments (14)
Largo wrote on July 31, 2007 4:00 PM:It ain't rocket science. Veco got the invoice, gave Ted $ for said invoice, Ted wrote the check to the contractor, but none of it came out of his pocket.
johnnydoughey wrote on July 31, 2007 4:21 PM:Anyone awaree of just WHO Allen admitted to bribing? Were the bribes supposedly restricted to local lawmakers? Also, have other lawmakers been indicted yet from the Allen admission? Just curious to see if and how his name might come up in those financial records..
Anonymous wrote on July 31, 2007 4:28 PM:The AP has a curious angle on the story:
"The focus seems to be on the wine"
"Federal agents searching the home of a Republican senator from Alaska seemed especially interested in cases of wine stored in the house. ..."
"... investigators photographed individual wine bottles as well as cases of wine, as they carried out the search as part of a public corruption probe. ..."
Bill W wrote on July 31, 2007 4:29 PM:kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6864993&nav=HMO6HMaW
The AP has a curious angle on the story:
"The focus seems to be on the wine"
"Federal agents searching the home of a Republican senator from Alaska seemed especially interested in cases of wine stored in the house. ..."
"... investigators photographed individual wine bottles as well as cases of wine, as they carried out the search as part of a public corruption probe. ..."
Bill W wrote on July 31, 2007 4:30 PM:kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6864993&nav=HMO6HMaW
oops, sorry for the double post. :(
Tom wrote on July 31, 2007 4:32 PM:AP style has VECO in all caps.
Slippery Slope wrote on July 31, 2007 5:11 PM:Is this Stevens' perp-walk photo?
I think Delay's was much better.
jw1 wrote on July 31, 2007 5:15 PM:RE: Senator (Convicted) for Life Stevens Legal Defense Fund.
Among many considerations to augment his legal defense fund-- Sen. Stevens may need to resort to auctioning the 'naming rights' to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
jw1
Watch wrote on July 31, 2007 6:31 PM:The national jaw will drop when this investigation ties into the current Alberto Gonzonles hearings. These two investigations are going to meet in the middle.
As an aside, no judge is going to grant a warrant to search one of the most powerful Senators' in the nation personal residence unless conviction is certain.
DeLatron wrote on July 31, 2007 7:07 PM:Why has it taken so long to catch up with this arrogant bastard?
What?! wrote on July 31, 2007 7:50 PM:...why the HELL is a Commitee employee using her government time to write personal checks for Stevens home renovations!??!?!?!? THIS can't be legal!
Catherine wrote on July 31, 2007 11:36 PM:Teddy boy lives five feet up the rear end of the oil company idiots. They have arrested about six idiots up here from the legislature and one has been convicted so far. The pugs up here are riddled with evil and don't give a damn who knows it. I am looking forward to the Anchorage Daily News (www.adn.com) every day these days.
salmonshark wrote on August 1, 2007 12:05 AM:Watch is correct. In fact as this has been a fairly well watched process it seems that maybe was for the media to finally bring it into
THE OPENING STORY OF THE NATIONAL NEWS.
Still, Some people are dreaming about Aquittals.
Shoes4Industry wrote on August 1, 2007 12:18 AM:http://www.lolprez.blogspot.com