What's Ted's connection?

Barbara Flanders

Ted Stevens used a Senate aide as his personal bookkeeper but did not report any payments from his personal funds, nor did the aide disclose any earned income of more than $200 beyond her senate salary, breaking senate rules. Instead, the aide, Barbara Flanders, collected more than a quarter-million dollars in federal pay. If Flanders was not paid for her work, it would have been considered a gift. U.S. law prohibits a federal employee from giving a gift to a superior and Stevens is also prohibited from accepting a gift from an employee receiving less pay. Federal law also says Senate employees must be paid with government funds only for assisting senators in their official duties, and not for performing personal or other nonofficial activities.

The Associated Press reported that Flanders is cooperating in the probe of Stevens’ dealings with Veco. Flanders testified under subpoena and provided documents regarding the senator’s bills. [Stevens, aide, may have run afoul of ethics rules, federal law, Associated Press, 8/3/2007]