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Stevens Federal Corruption Probe Includes Seafood Industry Earmarks
Move over Veco, the seafood industry needs some room in the federal corruption investigation of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK).
Until now, only Stevens' son Ben Stevens, a former state Senate President, had been publicly ensnared in the fishing probe targeting earmarks that went to companies simultaneously paying the younger Stevens consulting fees. But this evening, the AP reports the seafood probe includes Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate.
Investigators want to know if Stevens deliberately ushered $180 million in earmarks and wrote legislation that would lead to consulting fees and stock options for his son.
According to the AP, the FBI is specifically interested in:
_A $100 million federal loan program approved in 2000 to buy out Alaska crab boats, trim the size of the fleet and boost prices. . . ._A $30 million earmark Ted Stevens used to create the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board, which provided federal money to promote Alaska seafood. . . .
_A $50 million loan program, like the crab buyback, seeking to trim the Alaska salmon fleet in 2004. . . .
_A 2003 earmark that gave exclusive pollock fishing rights to Alaska natives in the far-flung Aleutian community of Adak. . .
As the AP notes and has been previously reported, Ben Stevens is connected to all of the suspect legislation through consulting fees or stock options provided to him by the companies and associations who benefited from the earmarks.
Comments (8)
Anonymous wrote on October 30, 2007 6:14 PM:This is just the tip of the iceberg.
chabuka wrote on October 30, 2007 7:13 PM:are they corrupt because they are politicians or politicians because they are corrupt..?
theswan wrote on October 30, 2007 7:55 PM:It boggles the mind that these crooks just got away with their repeated talents and no one noticed. Just who is working for his/her constituents?
Anonymous wrote on October 30, 2007 8:16 PM:The two party system may not be adaquate any more.
We noticed, we noticed all right. They had the entire system rigged in Alaska, that is why it took the FBI to come in and arrest state legislators. The State of Alaska was rotten from the top. By the way, anyone know where ex-Gov Murkowski is hiding out?
Fran Taylor wrote on October 31, 2007 10:14 AM:Somehow I bet Slade Gorton is involved in this.
shipwreckedcrew wrote on October 31, 2007 10:37 AM:I think Stevens is a crook, Don Young is a crook, and every other Appropriator that lines the pockets of their contributors with earmark money is a crook.
But, how about some interest on this site in the article in yesterday's WSJ about Jack Murtha's earmarking of billions of dollars for his district and his supporters? The head of one of the large companies in his district that has received hundreds of millions in earmarks first met Murtha when he was running a shoeshine stand at a Murtha-owned carwash in Johnstown, PA.
Or what about Stevens' twin brother, Daniel Inouye in Hawaii?
Your focus on one side of the isle over a practice that is carried out with equal vigor by both parties is your biggest weakness on coverage of an issue that is generally very good.
Dave Bowman wrote on October 31, 2007 3:19 PM:Ah yes, the famous, 'bi-partisan' corruption meme rears its head; please tell us, shipwreckedcrew, what the Dem equivalent of 'The K Street Project' is.
It's pretty hard to accuse TPM Muckraker of only looking at one side of the aisle, when they have in fact been reporting on William Jefferson and Don Siegelman scandals, amongst other Dems, but frankly, the Repugs are in a whole 'nother league of corruption.
Alternatively, you could start your own blog and report on these issues, instead of asking TPM Muckraker to do the dirty work, and then complaining when you feel they aren't 'bi-partisan' enough...
Funny, though, I'm sure there are many, many 'winger bloggers who would love to break such stories--why don't you ask Red State or LGF about this? Perhaps because the only scandals they break are the ones fed to them, a la Buckhorn and the Bush ANG memo?
Anonymous wrote on November 1, 2007 2:03 AM:What about Babs Flander"s 300% salary increase on Ted's watch