Stevens convicted, says he'll stay in Senate race

updated 6:53 p.m. ET Oct. 27, 2008

WASHINGTON - A defiant Sen. Ted Stevens, convicted of corruption charges, said Monday he will fight the verdict "with every ounce of energy I have." He added he will not give up his bid for re-election.

"I am innocent," the Alaska Republican said in a statement that indicated he will appeal. "This verdict is the result of the unconscionable manner in which the Justice Department lawyers conducted this trial. I ask that Alaskans and my Senate colleagues stand with me as I pursue my rights. I remain a candidate for the United States Senate."

A jury on Monday found Stevens guilty of seven corruption charges, throwing into limbo the 40-year career of Alaska's political patriarch.

There is no automatic Senate punishment for Stevens. The most severe potential consequence in Congress is expulsion by a two-thirds majority of the Senate. That normally would follow an investigation by the Senate ethics committee.

"I am obviously disappointed in the verdict but not surprised given the repeated instances of prosecutorial misconduct in this case. The prosecutors had to report themselves to the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility during the trial for ethical violations," Stevens' statement said.

"Exculpatory evidence was hidden from my lawyers. A witness was kept from us and then sent back to Alaska. The government lawyers allowed evidence to be introduced that they knew was false. I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have."

Prison time?
Stevens, 84, was found guilty of lying about free home renovations and other gifts he received from a wealthy oil contractor. Jurors began deliberating last week.

Visibly shaken after the verdicts were read, Stevens tried to intertwine his fingers but quickly put his hands down to his side after noticing they were trembling. As he left the courtroom, Stevens got a quick kiss on the cheek from his wife, Catherine, who testified on his behalf during the trial. He declined to talk to reporters waiting outside.

Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each count when he is sentenced, but under federal guidelines he is likely to receive much less prison time, if any. The judge originally scheduled sentencing for Jan. 26 but then changed his mind and did not immediately set a date.

The jurors left the court without comment.

Said U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan: "The jurors have unanimously told me that no one has any desire to speak to any member of the media."

The verdict, coming barely a week before Election Day, increased Stevens' difficulty in winning what already was a difficult race against Democratic challenger Mark Begich. Democrats hope to seize the once reliably Republican seat as part of their bid for a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

Palin: 'Sad day'
"It's a sad day for Alaska, and a sad day for Senator Stevens and his family," Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, said in Richmond, Va., where she was campaigning.

"The verdict shines a light though on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company up there in Alaska that was allowed to control too much of our state. And that control was part of the culture of corruption that I was elected to fight."

She added: "As governor of the state of Alaska, I'll carefully monitor now the situation and I'll take any appropriate action as needed. In the meantime I do ask that the people of Alaska join me in respecting the workings of our judicial system, and I'm confident that Senator Stevens, from this point on, will do the right thing for the state of Alaska."

She ignored a question on whether she would vote for Stevens next week as she climbed the stairs to catch a plane to Roanoke.

Career in jeopardy
The monthlong trial revealed that employees for oil services company VECO Corp. transformed the senator's modest mountain cabin into a modern, two-story home with wraparound porches, a sauna and a wine cellar.

The Senate's longest-serving Republican, Stevens said he had no idea he was getting freebies. He said he paid $160,000 for the project and believed that covered everything.

Stevens had asked for an unusually speedy trial, hoping he'd be exonerated in time to return to Alaska and win re-election. He kept his campaign going and gave no indication that he had a contingency plan in case of conviction.

Despite being a convicted felon, he is not required to drop out of the race or resign from the Senate. If he wins re-election, he can continue to hold his seat because there is no rule barring felons from serving in Congress. The Senate could vote to expel Stevens on a two-thirds vote.

In the event Stevens resigns, Alaska's governor cannot appoint a successor and a special election would be held between 60 and 90 days of his vacating his Senate seat, according to Alaska state rules.

"Put this down: That will never happen — ever, OK?" Stevens said in the weeks leading up to his trial. "I am not stepping down. I'm going to run through and I'm going to win this election.

Democrats have invested heavily in the race, running television advertisements starring fictional FBI agents and featuring excerpts from wiretaps.

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