Jul 31, 2008 11:33 am US/Pacific
Stevens Hopes To Clear Name Before Election Day
Alaska Republican Faces Seven Count Indictment In Federal Corruption Probe
WASHINGTON (CBS News) ―
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Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) waves as he arrives at court for an arraignment on July 31, 2008, in Washington, D.C.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has pleaded not guilty to charges he lied about accepting more than a quarter of a million dollars worth of gifts from a powerful oilfield contractor.
In the midst of his re-election bid, lawyers for the Senate's longest-serving Republican maintained Stevens' innocence at his afternoon arraignment in federal court in Washington.
Stevens, wearing a cream colored suit, did not speak when U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan asked for his plea. Stevens' attorney, Brendan Sullivan, answered for him.
Prosecutors say the Alaska Republican accepted more than $250,000 in house renovations and gifts from contractors but didn't disclose them on Senate financial records.
Stevens' legal team asked the judge to move the trial to Alaska, where the senator has been a political patron since before statehood. Attorney Sullivan also asked that the trial date be speeded up to give Stevens his day in court before the Nov. 4 election.
"He'd like to clear his name before the election," Sullivan told the judge. He added: "This is not a complex case. It should be one that moves quickly."
Stevens sat impassively at a witness table in the courtroom and whispered with his attorneys.
The indictment is a blow to the senator's re-election bid. Once a seemingly invincible political figure, he now faces both Democratic and Republican challengers who hope his legal woes make him vulnerable to defeat.
Though some Republican colleagues have distanced themselves from Stevens, he has steadfastly maintained his innocence, and his campaign has pledged to continue.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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