Amit Mehra
r lovedayTed Stevens Indictment - McCain Must Capitalize
Ted Stevens, Republican - Alaska , was indicted Tuesday on charges of lying about gifts he received from Bill Allen, the former head of Veco, a now inoperative Alaskan oil and construction company. This indictment comes roughly one year after his Alaskan home was raided by Federal Agents as part of an investigation after Bill Allen, a major contributor to Senator Stevens, pleaded guilty to bribing state officials.
According to a CNN report, a contractor that worked on the renovations to Senator Stevens’ Alaskan home sent his bills directly to Veco, not Senator Stevens.
The indictment, however, does not charge Stevens with bribery, but does charge him with seven felony accounts of making false statements on his mandatory financial disclosure records, which are filed under the penalty of perjury. The total amount in question, including the renovations to his home and an unequal auto exchange, is in excess of 250,000 dollars. Stevens has stepped down from leadership positions he held in the Senate following the indictment.
Though Senator Stevens has maintained his innocence through the whole ordeal it now seems likely that he has been caught in a lie that he can not get out of. The Republican Party, which is already fighting an image of being too friendly with big oil companies, now has to face the fact that the longest serving Republican Senator in history seems to personify the image that many Americans have of the Party – old, white, and at the mercy of oil executives.
John McCain must address Ted Stevens’ indictment. Corruption is the very issue he has talked so much about during his Presidential campaign and he has not yet capitalized. Hopefully, for his sake, McCain has his top speech writer locked in a room until he writes the perfect speech to address this or else he will lose out on a great opportunity to show America how he is a “different” and “trustworthy” Republican.
This is a win-win for McCain. He has the chance to say whatever he wants about a fellow Republican without anyone who may be otherwise offended by his comments being able to react publically for fear of a backlash on them. Hurry Senator McCain. This is the moment you have been waiting for.
Below are some links to coverage of the Ted Stevens saga
On the Daily Show
The Situation Room
Other Videos on CNN
