On Monday Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, was found guilty of violating federal ethics laws for failing to report gifts and services he had received from friends. Today the Republican Presidential ticket chimed in stating that Stevens should resign.
In an interview with
CNBC's
Maria Bartiromo, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said that Alaska Senator Ted Stevens should step down in light of his conviction yesterday on federal charges. Yesterday during a brief press statement, Palin did not exactly call for Stevens to resign, but stated, "I'm confident that Sen. Stevens ... will do the right thing for the people of Alaska.” Governor Palin did not specify what that was yesterday.
Today we know what the right thing means to the Alaska Governor and her running mate. John McCain was also interviewed by Bartiromo, said he agreed that Stevens should resign and the campaign put out a statement calling for Stevens to leave the Senate. The statement read:
"It is clear that Sen. Stevens has broken his trust with the people and that he should now step down. I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will be spurred by these events to redouble their efforts to end this kind of corruption once and for all."
Mr. Stevens was convicted of seven felony counts he faced in connection with charges that he knowingly failed to list on Senate disclosure forms the receipt of some $250,000 in gifts and services used to renovate his home in Girdwood, Alaska. In a statement following the verdict, the 84 year old Senator stated:
“I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have. I am innocent. 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.”
So according to McCain and Palin, Stevens should quit the Senate because he violated ethics laws. That rings as hypocritical, something that has plagued the McCain/Palin ticket for some time now. Is Governor Palin squeaky clean in the ethics department? I think not. Earlier this month, an Alaska State Legislative investigation into Sarah Palin's alleged abuse of power determined she also violated ethics laws. I do not remember John McCain asking her to step down off of his ticket.
Furthermore, Stevens was convicted primarily for having contractor work done on his home for which he had no receipts. It was the
same contractor that Governor Palin used to renovate her home and who got the government contract to build a sports facility in her hometown of Wasilla. So Sarah Palin is now asking her political mentor Ted Stevens, to step down?
If Stevens should step down, then I contend that Sarah Palin should also do the right thing and step down as governor for her misdeeds in office in the form of her being found guilty of abuse of power and violation of the public trust. Is her unethical behavior in office a disgrace that the people of Alaska should not tolerate, or should she get a pass? America certainly cannot tolerate having another set of power abusers in the White House after having the two worst offenders now in office for the past eight years.
How is Senator Stevens acceptance of expensive gifts any different than John and Cindy McCain having a
free cell phone tower installed on their property? How is it different from Sarah Palin using state money to
pay herself per Diem for working from home, paying for plane tickets for her kids and then
failing to list these items on her income tax? I do not see any, except for the fact that Stevens went to trial and got convicted.
This just smacks as more double talk and hypocrisy from the GOP White House hopefuls.
