Sen. Ted Stevens: Convicted or not convicted? That is the question.
And apparently one whose answer changes depending on who you ask.
In most people’s minds, there’s little to argue. On Monday, a jury returned a verdict of guilty on all seven counts of false statements. The charges against Stevens were felonies, making the senator — by most counts — a convicted felon.
But Stevens, back in Alaska campaigning for his eighth term in the Senate, met his opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, in a debate last night and denied that he had been convicted at all.
“I’m not gonna step down. I have not been convicted,” the 84 year-old senator stammered. “I have got a case pending against me. And probably the worst case of prosecutorial… misconduct by the prosecutors.”
It might be worth noting that Stevens has a history of denial.