Stevens: Ethics Bill Doesn’t Apply To Me

Alaska Democratic Party Release | August 18, 2008

Stevens Voted For Amended Ethics In Government Act His Defense Now Says Is Unconstitutional

Last week, lawyers for Senator Ted Stevens filed several motions asserting that Senators are above the law and deserve special treatment. Specifically, the defense explained that since the Department of Justice is part of the executive branch, they cannot investigate Stevens or interview his staff since they are part of the legislative branch. Stevens’ attorneys went as far to say that only Congress can discipline a Senator who violates the law by lying on the financial disclosure forms. However, Stevens voted for the legislation which established the financial disclosure forms. In essence, Stevens’ defense is that legislation he supported is now unconstitutional, and therefore the case should be dismissed.

“Senator Stevens’ actions speak louder than words,” said Bethany Lesser, spokeswoman for the Alaska Democratic Party. “Senator Stevens voted for the bill that created financial disclosure reports, but now his defense says it doesn’t matter if a Senator lies on the forms because a Senator can’t be investigated. Senator Stevens’ lawyers are saying there are no consequences for breaking the very same ethics rules that Stevens voted in support of. Senator Stevens is not above the law.”

In 1989, Congress amended the Ethics In Government Act of 1978 to require members of Congress to file financial disclosure reports including income and honoraria exceeding $200. The bill gave the Attorney General the authority to take action against anyone who falsifies the financial disclosure report. Stevens joined the rest of the Senate in a voice vote in favor of the legislation.

On July 30, Stevens was indicted on seven felony counts related to accepting illegal gifts valued at more than $250,000 from VECO. As a result of the indictment, Stevens was forced to resign his seniority on committees, including ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. The Alaska Democratic Party has called on Stevens to step down from his Senate seat, retire, and focus on his legal issues.

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