H
Harry Hope
Guest
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004731.php
November 16, 2007
Stevens to Media: You Better Watch Your Mouth
By Paul Kiel
Look out Anchorage Daily News (and maybe others)!
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is gonna get ya!
He's not saying how, but he's gonna get ya.
Just because two oil executives have pleaded guilty to bribing
Stevens, his son, and a handful of Alaska state lawmakers, and a grand
jury is hearing evidence against Stevens and his son, the Daily News
keeps on reporting that Stevens is mixed up with the wrong crowd.
And probably just to sell more papers, whenever one of those Alaska
state lawmakers gets convicted of taking bribes from the executives
(Bill Allen and Rick Smith of Veco), the Daily News feels compelled to
mention Stevens and his son.
Stevens spoke his mind to the Daily News in an interview:
http://www.adn.com/front/story/9457523p-9368930c.html
"Your papers print (the names of) those people who have been convicted
and my son's name and mine at the same time. As far as the public is
concerned, it's all the same ball of wax," Stevens said.
"I'm not going to comment on that ball of wax."
Just for example, take the trial of former state pol Vic Kohring for
taking Veco bribes.
The paper reported comments by both Kohring's lawyer and jurors that
Stevens and his son were really the ones who should be on trial.
And during former Alaska lawmaker's Pett Kott's trial, the paper
reported when Veco exec Bill Allen admitted that he'd paid for
renovations on Stevens' Alaska home.
Now, is that fair?
And is it really that big of a deal that one the most powerful,
longest-serving senators in the Senate's history is under
investigation?
"I don't see any reason why we should have had this massive press
interest in what's going on," Stevens said.
"It's just an investigation of a federal agency. They go on all the
time. No one else talks about them the way they talk about the one
involving me."
So put two and two together:
1) the paper has been unfairly tying him to crooked locals and
2) the investigation isn't that newsworthy anyway.
Clearly, the ADN is on a smear campaign.
As Stevens said before, the paper's trying to "assassinate" him.
And that's a crime that will not go unpunished:
"Because when it's all over, some people are going to have to account
for what they've said and what they've charged us with."
It was unclear whom Stevens was threatening.
When asked if he meant libel or perjury, Stevens said:
"No. I'm just saying there are ways to account for this in the
future."
When asked if he meant political retribution, he remained vague:
"I think the people out there ought to worry about that the way I
worry about the investigation. There are myriad things you can do.
Just a myriad of things."
When pressed, he wouldn't elaborate further:
"I've said it," Stevens said.
_____________________________________________
oooooooooooooooo better watch yer ass, ole Porky's out ta getcha
Harry
November 16, 2007
Stevens to Media: You Better Watch Your Mouth
By Paul Kiel
Look out Anchorage Daily News (and maybe others)!
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is gonna get ya!
He's not saying how, but he's gonna get ya.
Just because two oil executives have pleaded guilty to bribing
Stevens, his son, and a handful of Alaska state lawmakers, and a grand
jury is hearing evidence against Stevens and his son, the Daily News
keeps on reporting that Stevens is mixed up with the wrong crowd.
And probably just to sell more papers, whenever one of those Alaska
state lawmakers gets convicted of taking bribes from the executives
(Bill Allen and Rick Smith of Veco), the Daily News feels compelled to
mention Stevens and his son.
Stevens spoke his mind to the Daily News in an interview:
http://www.adn.com/front/story/9457523p-9368930c.html
"Your papers print (the names of) those people who have been convicted
and my son's name and mine at the same time. As far as the public is
concerned, it's all the same ball of wax," Stevens said.
"I'm not going to comment on that ball of wax."
Just for example, take the trial of former state pol Vic Kohring for
taking Veco bribes.
The paper reported comments by both Kohring's lawyer and jurors that
Stevens and his son were really the ones who should be on trial.
And during former Alaska lawmaker's Pett Kott's trial, the paper
reported when Veco exec Bill Allen admitted that he'd paid for
renovations on Stevens' Alaska home.
Now, is that fair?
And is it really that big of a deal that one the most powerful,
longest-serving senators in the Senate's history is under
investigation?
"I don't see any reason why we should have had this massive press
interest in what's going on," Stevens said.
"It's just an investigation of a federal agency. They go on all the
time. No one else talks about them the way they talk about the one
involving me."
So put two and two together:
1) the paper has been unfairly tying him to crooked locals and
2) the investigation isn't that newsworthy anyway.
Clearly, the ADN is on a smear campaign.
As Stevens said before, the paper's trying to "assassinate" him.
And that's a crime that will not go unpunished:
"Because when it's all over, some people are going to have to account
for what they've said and what they've charged us with."
It was unclear whom Stevens was threatening.
When asked if he meant libel or perjury, Stevens said:
"No. I'm just saying there are ways to account for this in the
future."
When asked if he meant political retribution, he remained vague:
"I think the people out there ought to worry about that the way I
worry about the investigation. There are myriad things you can do.
Just a myriad of things."
When pressed, he wouldn't elaborate further:
"I've said it," Stevens said.
_____________________________________________
oooooooooooooooo better watch yer ass, ole Porky's out ta getcha
Harry
