As we get ready for the big Sarah Palin speech tonight, it's worth taking a moment to step back from the charges of negligent vetting and media sexism, to focus on what really should be the heart of the issue.

The McCain campaign has presented Palin as a squeaky-clean reformer, who took on corruption in Alaska, and will help to bring a new brand of politics to Washington. But a flurry of reports over the last few days significantly undercut that image.

To be sure, Palin's claims to be a reformer aren't toally without merit. Before becoming governor, she went after the state GOP chair, Randy Ruedrich, for doing work for the party on public time and working closely with a company he was supposed to be regulating. She also filed a formal complaint against Attorney General Gregg Renkes for having investments in an energy company that stood to benefit from a state trade deal. Both Ruedrich and Renkes ultimately resigned their posts, and Ruedrich paid a $12,000 fine.

But let's look at the other side of the ledger. Both as mayor of Wasilla and as governor, Palin has aggressively sought federal earmarks, and has a friendlier relationship with indicted GOP senator Ted Stevens than one would expect for a good-government crusader. She has fired employees who she sees as disloyal. And, in a move reminiscent of the Bush-Cheney White House, she has stonewalled legitimate efforts by the legislature to uncover the truth in the Trooper-Gate affair.

Here's a sampling of reports that complicate Palin's reformist credentials:

• Last year, Palin requested more earmarks per person than any other state -- including some that were criticized by McCain himself.

• Even as mayor of Wasilla, Palin's pursuit of earmarks was aggressive. She oversaw the hiring of a Washington lobbyist -- who, as we reported yesterday, had ties to Jack Abramoff -- to go after federal pork.

• And though Palin touted her opposition to the "Bridge to Nowhere" just last week in her debut speech, she initially supported the project during her run for governor. It was only after the bridge became notorious as an example of pork barrel spending that she changed her position.
• In her run for governor, Palin was endorsed by now-indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. Video of the endorsement has been removed from her government website, but the two appeared together just two months ago at a press conference on energy. The friendly relationship between the embattled senator, who is accused of lying about gifts he recieved from an oil contractor, and the supposedly maverick governor is at odds with Palin's claim to dismantling the "old boys club" of Alaska government.

• As Wasilla mayor, Palin reportedly fired the police chief and attempted to fire the librarian, because she did not feel that she had their "full support in [her] efforts to govern the city of Wasilla." Former city officials allege that the attempts to remove the librarian were a result of her her refusal to censor books at Palin's request.
• Palin has been at the center of the Trooper-Gate scandal that alleges misuse of her gubernatorial power. The affair erupted in July when Palin fired the Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Monegan later claimed his firing was a result of his refusal to fire Palin's former brother-in-law and trooper Mike Wooten. Palin denied that she, her husband or her staff ever pressured Monegan, a statement she later had to retract when recorded phone calls revealed one of her aides, Frank Bailey, had called a troopers office pushing for Wooten's removal.
• Tonight, the Washington Post published emails from Palin to Monegan in which she appeared to complain that Wooten was still employed, apparently undercutting her claim that she discussed Wooten with Monegan only in the context of the security of her family.
• As a result of the Trooper-Gate allegations, an independent investigator has been appointed by the state legislature. In recent days, Palin has appeared to stonewall the probe. Her lawyer argued in a complaint filed last night that she wold not be made available for her deposition unless the probe were handed over to the state personnel board, whose members are appointed by the governor. Bailey, who had been suspended by Palin with pay for his actions, today backed out of his deposition.
• In a separate civil suit related to Wooten, Palin has claimed executive privilege on over a thousand emails between her and her staff, including Bailey.

Retracting past statements, the chair of the secessionist Alaska Independence Party told TPMmuckraker that they were mistaken in stating that Sarah Palin was once a member of their party -- but that her husband Todd, was.

"We searched for it everywhere, but we couldn't find anything to back up what we had been told by our source," Lynette Clark, chairman of the fringe third-party AIP told TPMmuckraker. "We made a mistake, but Todd definitely was a member of the party. We know that for sure."

Earlier today, TPMmuckraker posted that Todd was a member of the AIP party from 1995 to 2002.

The McCain camp today disputed rumors that presumptive vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was ever registered with the secessionist Alaska Independence Party by releasing years of voter registration history . . . but it looks like that doesn't apply to her husband.

This afternoon, the director of Division of Elections in Alaska, Gail Fenumiai, told TPMmuckraker that Todd Palin registered in October 1995 to the Alaska Independence Party, a radical group that advocates for Alaskan secession from the United States.

Besides a short period of a few months in 2000 when he changed his registration to undeclared, Todd Palin remained a registered member of AIP until July 2002 when he registered again as an undeclared voter.

MSNBC just reported that presumptive vice-presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has hired a lawyer in relation to the Trooper-Gate scandal.

Alaska State Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Hollis French told TPMmuckraker that Palin has hired Thomas Van Flein, an Anchorage attorney at the law firm of Clapp, Peterson, Van Flein, Tiemessen & Thorsness. French said that Van Flein has already been in contact with him, regarding the ongoing investigation of Palin.

Van Flein has represented the Alaska Dental Society and according to a cached version of his firm website, specializes in professional liability -- including licensing issues, commercial litigation, appellate practice, and employment law.

From the AP:

Anchorage attorney Thomas V. Van Flein has requested a copy of all witness statements and documentary evidence from the Legislature's investigator, Stephen Branchflower. Sen. Hollis French, an Anchorage Democrat, says he instructed Branchflower not to comply with the request.

The presumptive Republican vice presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has made her albeit-short public service career on ending corruption and turning the Alaskan political establishment on its ear.

Palin has been vocal about not being more of the same in Alaskan poltics. "[Experience is] not what Alaska needed," Palin has said. "The state needed new blood in there. A candidate with new energy and new ideas."

But it looks like Palin got her experience working as a director at the 527 group from the oldest of Alaskan politicians, embattled Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK).

From the Washington Post:

Palin's name is listed on 2003 incorporation papers of the "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group that could raise unlimited funds from corporate donors. The group was designed to serve as a political boot camp for Republican women in the state. She served as one of three directors until June 2005, when her name was replaced on state filings.

It looks like there's even more muck than meets the eye in Trooper-Gate.

After the allegedly improper firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) appointed former Kenai Police Chief Chuck Kopp to the post.

Kopp served just two weeks this summer as the head of law enforcement in Alaska, resigning on July 25, after a past complaint of sexual harassment and a subsequent letter of reprimand surfaced in news reports.

But Palin made sure he had a soft fall from grace, giving him a $10,000 severance package for just two weeks served.

While Palin has conceded she was aware of the past complaint against Kopp, she claims that she thought the complaint had been unsubstantiated and was unaware of the letter of reprimand.

Attorneys for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) fought back Monday after prosecutors filed a discovery motion that hinted at possible quid pro quos between Stevens and VECO executives.

"The government wishes to smuggle in suggestions of bribery and corruption that it has not charged and cannot prove," Stevens' attorneys wrote in their motion. Stevens is charged with making false statements for failing to mention over $250,000 in gifts on his Senate disclosure forms -- not with taking bribes.

From the AP:

Prosecutors also want to present somewhat unrelated evidence that they believe shows the Alaska senator got a sweetheart condominium deal, his daughter got a discounted car and his son got a job from VECO.

In court documents filed Monday, Stevens suggested the Justice Department was making accusations haphazardly, hoping to damage his reputation at trial. Those accusations have nothing to do with the crime he's charged with, attorneys said.

"They are an obvious attempt to smear the Senator's character," defense attorneys wrote, adding later that the Justice Department was "continuing its assault on the senator's family."

The corruption case against Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is already yielding some interesting fruit.

Newsweek reported Saturday that, in a 2006 conversation secretly recorded by the FBI, Stevens and Bill Allen -- the oil-services executive who allegedly provided Stevens with $250,000 in financial gifts -- discussed how to get a pipeline bill through the Alaska legislature.

Stevens told Allen: "I'm gonna try to see if I can get some bigwigs from back here and say, 'Look ... you gotta get this done'." Two days later, Vice President Cheney took the unusual step of contacting Alaska lawmakers directly, urging them in a letter to "promptly enact" the legislation. Stevens confirmed to Newsweek that he had indeed asked Cheney to write the letter.

Newsweek notes that the former executive director of Cheney's energy task force had gone on to work as a lobbyist for BP, which would have built the pipeline. The magazine doesn't name the task force director, but it appears to be Andrew Lundquist. And it's worth pointing out that Lundquist -- who had worked as the Bush-Cheney campaign's energy expert in 2000, earning the nickname "Lightbulb" from the president -- has also worked as a top aide to Stevens.

Newsweek also reports that DOJ prosecutors did not include Cheney's letter in their motion and did not respond when the magazine asked why.

Maybe John McCain can't remember how many houses he owns, but it sounds like indicted GOP Sen. Ted Stevens (AK) has a pretty short memory too.

Just yesterday, we highlighted five Alaskans who called into a talk radio program on Tuesday to question Stevens on his upcoming trial and the charges against him.

But at a Republican Senate primary debate last night, Vic Vickers, a primary opponent to Stevens, posed a similar question to Ted about why he accepted $250,000 in gifts from VECO executive Bill Allen. And Ted's response, was. . . well. . . confusing:

"As I've traveled around Alaska, you know, I haven't had that question asked to me by anyone but a newsperson. And now you join that rank. Uh, the Alaskans I've talked to said "Ted, we believe in ya'," "Ted, I'm gonna give ya' a prayer," "Ted, we'll see you through this," uh, "We know, we know (emphasis) that you're innocent 'cause you said you're innocent."

Apparently, for Stevens, constituents who question him are entirely forgettable.

Embattled Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) took to Alaskan radio Tuesday, and to no one's surprise but his own, he was confronted by callers with questions about his recent indictment for lying on financial disclosure forms about favors he received from a campaign contributor.

Stevens' responses to his constituents inquiries ranged from general shock, to confusion, to denial, and even to John Wayne-like challenges.

As more and more people called in to the show asking questions about his upcoming trial and indictment, Stevens' patience seemed to wane. At about forty minutes into the show, host Steve Heimel stepped in to break up a shouting match between Stevens and a caller.

"Excuse me, Steve," the caller said, "but the senator is a big boy and can take care of himself. He's been in the game a long time."

"You're damned right I can take care of myself," Stevens responded. "Any time you want to come, friend."

When asked by Heimel what would happen to his campaign if he was convicted at his trial in September, Stevens had a simple, head-in-the-sand, response:

I don't think about that. I have faith that that is not going to happen. As a matter of fact, approaching this whole issue is a matter of faith Steve. And I am convinced I am innocent, so I, I must maintain my position that I have faith I will not be reaching that position that you just indicated. If that happens, we'll have to make some decisions, but I don't expect it.

We've compiled a highlight reel for your enjoyment.

Partial transcript after the jump.

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Nighttime campaigning is looking more difficult for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) whose motion to move his upcoming trial to Alaska was denied by a federal judge this morning.

Stevens had previously requested a change of venue to Alaska so he could campaign at home during the run up to the November election. In a partial accommodation of his request, there will be no sessions on Friday to allow the six-term incumbent senator to travel to Alaska for weekend campaigning, McClatchy reports.

Earlier this week, attorneys on both sides of the case submitted questions for jury selection. According to court documents, inquiries include potential jurors' opinions on the oil industry, congressional corruption, earmarks in the state of Alaska, and whether or not they regularly read the D.C. newspaper, The Hill.

Former VECO CEO Bill Allen, the oil executive who orchestrated Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-AK) home renovations and whose testimony led to the indictment and conviction of a number of state legislators, has had a relatively soft fall from grace. Since testifying, little has been seen of Allen, whose sentencing on his May 2007 guilty plea has been continuously delayed as he remains free on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

As those connected to him fall to federal indictments, Allen is enjoying the windfall from the sale of steeped-in-corruption-VECO, for $146 million. Thanks to a carefully negotiated plea deal, two-thirds of that profit went to Allen and his three children. Oh, and did we mention he has no passport or travel restrictions?

According to the Anchorage Daily News, just seven months after his plea deal, Allen and two of his children bought a small jet, with an estimated value of $2 million. The plane has been flying all over the west, notably landing at airports near New Mexico racetracks, where all of the Allen children own licensed racehorses. And though he still owns his half-million dollar Anchorage home, Allen is reportedly spending the majority of his time in New Mexico:

Dick Cappellucci, a New Mexico licensed horse trainer from El Paso, Tex., who used to work for Allen's son, Mark Allen, and once owned a race horse with Mark, said Bill Allen is living on his son's Double Eagle Ranch. The county lists the ranch as a 46-acre property.

Mark Allen himself "is building a fancy, fancy place over there," Cappellucci said.

. . . Recently, the Allens have been showing up big at horse sales, Cappellucci said. "They've spent a lot of money in the horse business."

"A lot of money in the horse business," might be an understatement. According to the ADN, Mark Allen spent $726,000 for eight horses shortly before the sale of VECO.

But all is not as rosy as it might seem for Allen and Co. and their soft money bed at the race track. According to Bob Bundy, Allen's defense lawyer, Allen is "just kind of marking time. . . waiting for the axe to fall. . . it's not a very happy situation."

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) flipped a Florida condo deal to turn $5,000 into about $100,000 back in 2001 when the housing boom was heating up, according to newly filed court documents.

Federal prosecutors are not charging the sitting senator with any additional crimes, but they are laying out the new allegations in an effort to show a pattern of lying on his Senate financial disclosure reports.

Prosecutors say the details of Stevens' deal amount to an interest-free loan that he should have publicly disclosed.

The Anchorage Daily News first reported the details on Stevens' deal this morning:

On Feb. 4, 2001, Stevens and his wife, Catherine, signed a contract on a pre-construction condominium just north of Miami priced at $360,000, prosecutors said.

While most buyers put down 10 percent, or $36,000, Stevens only put down $5,000. One of the developers fronted the senator $31,000 in an interest-free loan that he paid to an escrow company "for the benefit of 'Theodore and Catherine Stevens,' " according to the motion.

About six months later, the developer, referred to in court papers only as "Person C" contacted Stevens and told him the condo could be flipped "as I told you," according to the motion.

In August 2001, Stevens sold the contract on the condo for $515,000, later paid off the interest-free loan and retained a windfall of about $100,000, prosecutors say.

That's not illegal per se, but prosecutors say Stevens should have disclosed the deal, according to the prosecutors' motion.

Part VII of the 2001 United States Senate Financial Disclosure Form required Stevens to disclose any liability that he "owed to any creditor which exceeded $10,000 at any time during" calendar year 2001. Although Stevens knowingly carried debt on a $31,000, interest-free loan from his personal friend for more than 10 months during 2001, Stevens did not list such a liability on his 2001 Financial Disclosure Form.

Someone is finally going directly after GOP Congressman Don Young over his suspicious earmark for the Coconut Road interchange in Florida -- but they're just skimming the surface.

The Club For Growth, which is backing Young's GOP primary challenger Sean Parnell, is airing this new ad attacking Young for putting a $10 million earmark for Florida in the budget in order to benefit a contributor:

Unfortunately, the ad doesn't mention the really juicy part -- that Young's staff inserted the earmark in after the whole budget had passed in Congress, making the whole thing almost certainly unconstitutional as well as ethically questionable.

If this whole blogging thing doesn't work out, maybe we'll go into the ad-writing business.

In a press conference this afternoon, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) conceded that someone inside her administration pressured the state's Department of Public Safety to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten, Palin's former brother-in-law, who is now embroiled in a bitter custody battle with Palin's sister.

Palin's statement is the latest in what has come to be known around Alaska as "Wooten-gate." The scandal began on July 11, when Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan was fired from his post with little explanation, a move that quickly raised questions in Alaska.

A few days later, Monegan came forward, stating that he had been pressured by those around Palin to fire Wooten -- but had refused to do so -- a choice that he believes led to his sudden dismissal. Palin denied Monegan's accusations, and a Legislative Council has appointed a special commission to probe the matter.

In today's conference, Palin said that state troopers had taped a phone call from Frank Bailey, Palin's director of boards and commissions whom she appointed last August, in which Bailey inquired about having Wooten fired.

At the press conference today, Palin distanced herself from Bailey's actions claiming that he acted alone, but the recordings suggest that he was acting at her instigation.

"The Palins can't figure out why nothing's going on," Bailey said in the recorded phone call. "So Todd and Sarah are scratching their heads saying 'Why is this guy representing the department, he's a horrible recruiting tool.' You know? So from their perspective everybody's protecting him. . . Audi probably disagrees with me, Walt [Monegan] does and I understand it's really touchy, but I just want you to understand that cops that use excessive force or go out of the lines, they just have no tolerance, because they've seen the facts personally."

Bailey has yet to comment. Calls to his phone went directly to voice mail.

Late update: Audio of Frank Bailey's recorded phone conversation has been released on the governor's state website, you can listen to it here.

It's hard to believe it's been a month since Alaska State Senator John Cowdery (R) was indicted on charges of bribery and corruption.

He proclaimed his innocence at the time, and now, after getting his arraignment postponed, he's finally made his plea official.

From the Anchorage Daily News:

An Anchorage state senator with ties to disgraced oil field services company Veco Corp. pleaded not guilty to federal counts of bribery and conspiracy. John Cowdery, 78, was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court. His trial was set for Oct. 6.

He was arraigned on charges of conspiring to bribe a fellow state senator with $25,000 in Veco money.

If the name VECO sounds familiar, it should. It's the same oil field services company behind the recent indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK).

VECO's a gravy train that a number of Alaskan politicians rode straight to jail.

From The Hill:

A U.S district court judge said Thursday that Sen. Ted Stevens's (R-Alaska) criminal case could be wrapped up before the end of October while announcing an expedited schedule for jury selection.

Judge Emmet G. Sullivan indicated that 150 potential jurors could be contacted as early as this week and that jury selection would begin Sept. 23. That process could last two days, but the trial could begin as soon as Sept. 24.

"What we don't have is a lot of time between now and the commencement of the trial," Sullivan said, adding that the case would take "approximately four weeks."

Under that scenario, a jury might have enough time to offer a verdict before Election Day, when Stevens is seeking his seventh full Senate term. The longest-serving Republican senator has pleaded not guilty to charges of allegedly concealing more than $250,000 worth of gifts from an oil-services company.

Stevens missed Thursday's procedural hearing at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, campaigning instead in Alaska, where he faces six primary challengers on Aug. 26. If he wins, the 84-year-old Stevens would face 46-year-old Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich in the general election.

The judge is expected to rule on Stevens' motion to hold the trial in Alaska rather than Washington at an August 20 hearing.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is making good on his promise "to travel to any place in the state. . . to listen to Alaskans." On Saturday, Stevens visited the small town of Ketchikan, for their annual blueberry festival and gave an interesting quote to the Ketchikan Daily News (sub. req.):

"This is an indictment for failure to disclose gifts that are controversial in terms of whether they were or were not gifts. It's not bribery; it's not some corruption; it's not some extreme felony."

Interesting defense, senator. We wonder how that will go over with the judge.

To most, a federal indictment might not seem like a campaign rallying cause, but Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), arraigned last week on seven counts of false statements, might disagree.

At 9:30 AM AKDT today, Stevens held a rally at his campaign headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska. While his poll numbers have not flagged for the upcoming Alaska Republican primary, they have plummeted in general election polls. Stevens' likely Democratic opponent Mark Begich leads the incumbent Stevens (sub. req.) 56% to 35% according to a July 30-31 study.

Despite the dismal statistics, things were upbeat at the rally today, with Stevens' arriving behind a convoy of motorcyclists clad in leather, according to our sources. A local reporter, Dennis Zaki, was on hand to memorialize the event in pictures. More images (including bikers) coming shortly:

Sen. Stevens is surrounded by supporters in his first appearance in Anchorage since his indictment last week.

A sign posted along the highway in Wasilla, 50 miles outside of Anchorage.

More photos after the jump.

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Oh, the things you can do as a lame-duck president.

Despite Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) indictment last week on seven counts of false statements, President Bush is keeping their scheduled meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska today.

The two are set to meet at 4 PM AKDT (Alaska Daily Time, which is four hours behind EDT) at Eielson Air Force Base, Stevens' scheduler confirmed to TPMmuckraker.

The event with the president, who is stopping over in Alaska on his way to Beijing for the Olympics, is the second major appearance of the day for Stevens.

Earlier today the Stevens campaign held a rally in Anchorage after arriving at his campaign office behind a convoy of motorcycles. We'll have video and pictures coming shortly.

BP appeared unfazed by allegations that it may have helped cover costs related to Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-AK) home renovations, and declined to say whether they were investigating the matter, or discuss it in any way with TPMmuckraker.

"We have done a significant amount of business with VECO over the years. They were one of the largest oil contractors in the state, and we don't discuss our business with our contractors," a BP press representative said this morning.

As we previously reported, the Anchorage Daily News published a Sunday expose of two former VECO employees who oversaw construction on Stevens' home. One of those employees, David Anderson, claimed that a VECO client, BP Exploration, had "possibly" borne the costs of some of the Stevens' renovations.

But curiously, Anderson himself backpeddled on his statements in a second story, published late last night, by the ADN:

Last week, Anderson said some of the labor charges were passed on to an oil company that was paying Veco to build a North Slope module at the time in its shop, probably BP, though not necessarily with the knowledge of the oil company. He affirmed that Saturday.

But on Sunday, Anderson said he was mistaken and only knew for sure that Veco covered the costs, not that they were passed through to a Veco client. That accounting took place in a Veco office outside the scope of his job, he said Sunday.

Stevens was indicted last week on seven counts of false statements, stemming from his failure to disclose the $250,000 worth of renovations made to his home by the oil company VECO. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, and his trial is scheduled for September 24, where Anderson may testify.

Two VECO employees shed new light on who was behind the idea to renovate the home of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), the Anchorage Daily News reported yesterday.

The two employees, David Anderson, the nephew of former VECO CEO Bill Allen, and Robert "Rocky" Williams, a trusted VECO worker, told the ADN that they met with Allen over drinks at the Alyeska Prince Hotel in the spring of 1999 or 2000. It was during this meeting that the three men first discussed plans to renovate the Stevens' home.

Stevens was indicted last week on seven counts of false statements, stemming from his failure to disclose the $250,000 worth of renovations made to his home by the oil company VECO.

Anderson, who had a falling out with Allen over the construction and once claimed that his uncle threatened his life, told the ADN that there were numerous projects that Stevens was not billed for -- and Anderson would know, since he handled the billing:

Among the electricians' tasks was to wire up a switch for a generator that would automatically turn on whenever the power went out, Anderson said. Allen told him to buy an oversized power plant to install in the back yard. It was so heavy that Anderson had to order in a Veco crane from the shop to lift it over the garage from the driveway and set it in place in the back.

It was another gift that Stevens got for free, Anderson said. "I know, because I ran the paperwork -- I did all the purchase orders."

The generator is not mentioned in the indictment.

Anderson and Williams worked closely with Stevens' wife, Catherine Stevens, who had a say over much of the renovations:

Williams said Catherine Stevens wanted to put her touch on the place, which she and Stevens had bought as a 12-year-old house in 1983.

"So she picked out the carpet, she picked out the tile," Williams said. "She made it her place and that was what Ted wanted . . ."

In addition to shedding light on the work done to the Stevens' home, the ADN also speculates about the likely identities of two of the three anonymous parties in the Stevens' indictment, stating that Person A is Bob Persons, a local business owner who diligently oversaw the renovations, and Company A is Christensen Builders, a local construction company owned by Augie Paone, already known to have done work on the Girdwood chalet.

Anderson initially told the ADN that the "at least some" of the costs for the renovation were passed on to VECO clients, like "BP Exploration." Late yesterday, ADN ran a second story, saying that Anderson backed away from those statements.

Around 5 PM Alaska time, Sen. Ted Stevens' office issued a second statement on his arraignment earlier in the day in federal court.

From the Anchorage Daily News:

I am pleased that the Judge has set a speedy trial date, which should allow ample time for a decision before the general election. I am looking forward to this trial as a way of finally showing the truth - that I am innocent.

We have a Bill of Rights and a trial by jury in our country to protect our citizens - so that every person has their day in court.

I am humbled by all the outpouring of support, expressions of friendship, and offers of prayers. This process has lasted for more than a year, causing great distress to my family and confusing the Alaskans who have put their trust in me for more than 40 years.

When all the facts come out at the trial, Alaskans will know that I continue to be a dedicated public servant and that I am working hard for them every day.