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Sen. Stevens asks for speedy corruption trial
Friday, August 01, 2008 | 1 comment(s)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Under indictment and watching some Republican colleagues tiptoe away from him, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is counting on speed to keep corruption allegations from lingering until Election Day and ending his storied political career.
Stevens asked for, and received, a trial date in September. Requesting such a schedule — eight weeks from arraignment to trial — is nearly unheard of in public corruption cases, which often drag on months if not years.
Legal experts took the move both as a sign of confidence and as an example of Stevens’ trademark bulldozer personality.
“It’s saying, ‘Bring it on,”’ said Hugh Keefe, a Connecticut white-collar defense attorney who teaches trial advocacy at Yale University. “It’s gutsy.”
Assuming everything stays on track, voters will know in November whether the Senate’s longest-serving Republican lied about receiving $250,000 in gifts and home improvements from contractors.
Stevens asked for, and received, a trial date in September. Requesting such a schedule — eight weeks from arraignment to trial — is nearly unheard of in public corruption cases, which often drag on months if not years.
Legal experts took the move both as a sign of confidence and as an example of Stevens’ trademark bulldozer personality.
“It’s saying, ‘Bring it on,”’ said Hugh Keefe, a Connecticut white-collar defense attorney who teaches trial advocacy at Yale University. “It’s gutsy.”
Assuming everything stays on track, voters will know in November whether the Senate’s longest-serving Republican lied about receiving $250,000 in gifts and home improvements from contractors.
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