Thursday, September 25, 2008

Trial Withdrawal Symptoms - Call the Yellow Pages - Thanks ADN

As one of the folks who attended the three political corruption trials in Anchorage last year I'm suffering pangs of angst that I'm in Anchorage while the Stevens trial is going on in DC. I really feel like I should be there posting my impressions on the blog. I even toyed with going, but my daughter is due in town here next week and being with her is much more satisfying than being with Ted Stevens. (Don't feel guilty M, there were other factors too, you just clinched it.)

Apparently someone at the ADN understands my problem. I got this email this morning:

Hey all -

I wanted to give you a heads up that today was opening statements in Ted Steven's corruption trial. Below you'll find the full article outlining opening statements - but this seems to be the hottest quote:

"If the defendant needed an electrician, he contacted Veco. If the defendant needed a plumber, he contacted Veco," she said. "We reach for the yellow pages, he reached for Veco."

Jurors also will hear about a 2006 conversation between Stevens and the chief executive officer of Veco Corp., Bill Allen, who was already cooperating with federal authorities. In the conversation, Stevens told Allen that the worst that could happen to them if anyone found about what the company had done for him is they would have to spend a lot of money on lawyers – and perhaps serve a little jail time.
As always, let me know if you have questions!

Thanks,
Tracy


So there you have it. I can send you a little tidbit thanks to the ADN. If you can't wait for tomorrow's newspaper you can go to the ADN Website for the rest of this story you.


But wait, if you read that carefully it says, "she said." Who is 'she'?

In the whole article it says, just before the excerpt:

"You'll learn that the defendant never paid Veco a dime for the work on the chalet. Not a penny," the lead Justice Department prosecutor, Brenda Morris, told jurors in the opening minutes of the trial against the senator.


Who is Brenda Morris? Well, going back it turns out I missed her in Tuesday's ADN back page:

BRENDA MORRIS: A longtime prosecutor with the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, Morris now serves as its principal deputy. She has helped supervise the investigation into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and has prosecuted corruption cases around the country. She teaches corruption investigations within the Justice Department and is a professor at Georgetown Law School.


The other four prosecutors who were in court for the previous trials - Joseph Bottini (Anchorage), James Goeke (Anchorage), Nicholas Marsh (PIN, DC), and Edward Sullivan (PIN, DC) - are still on the team, but now they have a new captain. Did they bring out Brenda to tease the defense that is led by Brendan?


Is this just a plug for the ADN? Hey, they have reporters in DC, we bloggers are sitting here at home. But to see another perspective, the Washington Post starts their report on today's court session this way:

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) paid every bill sent to him for extensive renovations to his home and did not lie about the work on financial disclosure forms, his attorney told jurors this morning.

"The evidence will demonstrate that you are dealing here with a man who is honest and would not have intentionally violated the law," the lawyer, Brendan Sullivan, said in opening statements in Stevens' corruption trial in federal court.

1 comment:

  1. I have read you interesting walk through history on the opening day of the Steven's trial, back in Oct. 2008. your preview the lawyers/ DOJ/ etc.
    Fast forward, to April 2009, where America was met with April fools shock, except some say it was kind of reality, the jury verdict nullification.
    So, what was withheld, some notes of some lawyers of the DOJ, who interviewed Allen in April 2008, but in some stealh fashion, this has been kept under wraps--in the press, as their names have not been revealed. DOJ person in question. the note takers, etc
    Who were they, why were their notes not something that found their way to D C.?
    You in an other section now say, or raise the question: the case was torn up from inside.
    This is something you need to explore.
    And, in conjunction with this Joy Cad.
    your site is most interesting, I have been reading it with great interest.
    Please explore the matter i raise with you.
    Ms Morris, who you note, secured the Steven's conviction, now some are calling for her head, to ruin her, includign teh ex U S Attorney in ak, Shea, who seemed to get a note from Simpson, and is keyed in on soem things, as he is now going ballastic, playing politics on matters, going over time to suck up to Ted, like he had some dog in the fight.
    But, if you are clued in on so much, given your great curosity, and great writing style, and following, you need to answer the question i raise with you--for the sake of the full truth--at least.
    Who took the notes, who were thsoe DOJ lawyers, and the whole 9 yards on that.
    That is the focus on what gave flight to
    unhinging the Stevens conviction, as the DOJ D. C caved, in some fashion, given the JOY eruption, in sync with those matters, some Cabal in Ak on the inside in sync with the Stevens Defense team.
    So, in a nut shell;
    While the notes were spun they(taken in April 2008) were done so in the defense fashion, as being proof of some Steven's innocence,
    How so, if some figure of $ 80,000 was noted by Allen(in some interview) how is that proof of Steven's innocence, it only raises more qustions, so why is it not on the table, being covered here...Public out in the open, not behind some doors of the VIPS
    Please get to work on this question.
    thanks

    ReplyDelete

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