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Three Years After Stevens Trial Senator Lisa Murkowski Wants AnswersMurkowski wants the taxpayer money backRelated Content
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Three years after the U.S. Attorney General dismissed a federal corruption conviction against former Senator Ted Stevens, Alaska lawmakers still have questions about how the case was handled. An independent court-ordered investigation revealed significant, widespread and at times intentional misconduct. In a U.S. subcommittee hearing today Senator Lisa Murkowski wanted answers. She said it wasn’t just the fact that an independently conducted investigation revealed prosecuting attorneys intentionally withheld evidence in the trial against Stevens, it was the fact that they were trying to hide it again, to the tune of $1.8 billion. “In addition to spending taxpayer money to defend your attorneys, did the taxpayers also pay for the attorneys to argue that the contents of this report should not be publicly released?" Said Murkowski. The report is set to be released publicly next week and Attorney General Eric Holder said the Department of Justice fully supports the move. “There is a legitimate public interest in knowing as much as we can about what happened, why it happened and what steps the Justice Department has taken in connection with these findings of misconduct,” said Holder. But after the department spent hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in attorney fees defending its own prosecutors and trying to delay the release of the report, Murkowski said she wants the money back. "Does the government have any resource to recover the funds that have been paid for their attorneys fees when they have engaged in intentional misconduct?” Other lawmakers said it’s a bipartisan matter of public trust. "We have to have, regardless of which party is in the white house, a justice department that we believe in and that the American people believe in," said Senator Barbara Mikulski. The senators said we’ve paid a steep price, but still haven’t seen real justice. |
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tom said on Friday, Mar 9 at 12:25 AM
go lisa murkowski for justice for my friend sen ted stevens
83651826BC said on Friday, Mar 9 at 12:53 AM
Thank YOU Lisa!! Please dont let up, we maybe far removed but we are still a state! With this case as well as Fast and Furious How can Holder be allowed to keep his job?
83653014erroll booth said on Friday, Mar 9 at 9:29 AM
(U.S. Attorney General dismissed a federal corruption conviction against former Senator Ted Stevens.) Why would the U.S. Attorney General drop charges? Sounds like a Cover UP. Does justice only work towards those that are not influential. now if this were any other citizen off the street not in any kind of city/state/federal government position would have been prosecuted and not dismissed. It's time for the American people to take back the power from our government that inclines to abuse its position and authority and hold it accountable for its actions.
83707636RonAK said on Saturday, Mar 10 at 3:39 PM
The system got caught in their assination attempt on Sen. Stevens, but the job worked, because we got stuck with Begich...the lacky of the democratic party. A man that fails to do the right thing, but falls into line when the party says "sit and bark". He voted against the Keystone Pipeline when called by Obama; bet he even voted against the 10 billion savings through elmination of duplication of government programs...He is a tool and needs to be defeated in 2014!
83828744Anonymous said on Sunday, Mar 11 at 1:57 AM
trancanada got handed funds that don't belong to them and handing it off to England was not so subtle but hey...let's whine about Ted Stevens who was against Frank Murkowski reversing the Statutes of Limitations...now why is that I wonder...
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