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DOJ Statement On Stevens Case
The Justice Department has released a statement on the decision to drop the Ted Stevens case:
STATEMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER REGARDING UNITED STATES V. THEODORE F. STEVENS"In connection with the post-trial litigation in United States v. Theodore F. Stevens, the Department of Justice has conducted a review of the case, including an examination of the extent of the disclosures provided to the defendant. After careful review, I have concluded that certain information should have been provided to the defense for use at trial. In light of this conclusion, and in consideration of the totality of the circumstances of this particular case, I have determined that it is in the interest of justice to dismiss the indictment and not proceed with a new trial.
"The Department's Office of Professional Responsibility will conduct a thorough review of the prosecution of this matter. This does not mean or imply that any determination has been made about the conduct of those attorneys who handled the investigation and trial of this case.
"The Department of Justice must always ensure that any case in which it is involved is handled fairly and consistent with its commitment to justice. Under oftentimes trying conditions, the attorneys who serve in this Department live up to those principles on a daily basis. I am proud of them and of the work they do for the American people."
Josh
Zachary
If the Bush DOJ was so heavily politicized, why did it go after Stevens in the first place? Was this political payback for something? If so, what?
April 1, 2009 9:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
kabuki? bush doj intentionally withheld info knowing it would derail the conviction? or maybe stevens is just an asshole even the bushies couldn't stand?
April 1, 2009 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Are these incompetent DOJ lawyers still employed by the US government? If so, why? Even under Federal Civil Service an employe can be fired for incompetence.
It should not take a competent prosecutor to win such a case before the Federal Civil Service Commission.
If DOJ attorneys are not Civil Service, why are these "prosecutors" still being paid by the American people?
April 1, 2009 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I guess Sarah Palin is having the last laugh, after all. Wasn't she pounded for refusing to throw Stevens under the bus, including by this blog?
April 1, 2009 9:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Look, Stevens still got the renovations from Allen without paying for it. Holder dropping the indictment doesn't mean Stevens wasn't guilty.
April 1, 2009 12:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Were these prosecutors graduates of Regency University?
April 1, 2009 9:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
I figured they "prosecuted," knowing there was a case there, but did as much prosecutorial conduct as they could so that the verdict would be thrown out on appeal.
April 1, 2009 10:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."
Remember that this was the Bush DOJ, where lawyers were hired, promoted, and assigned to high-profile cases on the basis of loyalty to the administration and blind willingness to toe the line -- not such inconsequential qualities like knowledge of the law or the ability to conduct a trial.
April 1, 2009 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Pure Bush League Justice. Lawyers acting like dirty cops who are allowed to dupe suspects to confess or do whatever to produce evidence.
It was a pretty weak case anyway, and comical: such a powerful senator bribed by a quarter mil?
Holder is just preparing for the Don S. review.
April 1, 2009 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Prosecutorial misconduct is a plague on our justice system, happening much more frequently than most people believe. It just adds to the travesty that prosecutors who break the law are so rarely prosecuted themselves. I researched this issue and wrote a novel about a young man who finds himself in Sing Sing prison for a murder he did not commit, put there by a NYC prosecutor who knew he was innocent. To learn more about how prosecutors cheat, and to read about and perhaps purchase my book, look up A GOOD CONVICTION by Lewis M. Weinstein on amazon.com.
April 7, 2009 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink