Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) was convicted on seven counts of making false statements on his personal financial disclosures today. Stevens failed to disclose gifts, including free home renovations, and his failure to disclose led to his conviction and may cost him his Senate seat with elections a week away.
The charges related to Stevens' personal financial disclosures from 2002-2007, all of which are available to view on LegiStorm. The original indictment, including a description of all seven charges, is also available on LegiStorm.
Steven's case underscores the importance of disclosure in government, and also the importance of making those disclosure forms widely and easily available for public viewing, in case there are discrepancies to be found.
But Stevens's defense also highlights the rarified world that senators live in. His defense was that expensive furniture and appliances would simply appear in his home without his request but that they were simply loans from an oil company executive, not gifts requiring disclosure. That he thought these arguments might be plausible to ordinary Americans, who do not usually get such largess foisted upon them by corporate leaders, is a telling example of how much some members of Congress feel should be catered to them.
