Stevens Asks For Extension To File Financial Disclosure FormsSen. Ted Stevens is following in the footsteps of Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-CA) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who are both under federal investigation, by asking for a review of his financial records from last year, allowing him to put off filing his official disclosure forms.
The forms were due to the Senate Ethics Committee by May 15, but Stevens’ were not among them . The Washington Post and McClatchy report that the request for a review could be a sign that Stevens is in trouble with the law. From McClatchy:
Ethics reviews of lawmakers’ financial reports are unusual unless they are under a legal cloud. A source close to Stevens’ office said he has requested such reviews before, although this is the first time it has delayed the report’s release.
Last week Stevens admitted that the FBI has asked him to hold on to documents they may want to review as part of its ongoing probe into a corruption scandal in the state. His son, former Alaska State Senate President Ben Stevens has already been snared by the investigation. The head of a local oil services company, Veco Corp., pled guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges, implicating the younger Stevens in receiving some $240,000 in illegitimate consulting fees.
The Washington Post points out who else has asked for a filing extension:
Nearly 80 lawmakers received extensions for their financial disclosures, which are required by federal law. Knowingly filing false disclosure forms is a federal crime. Prosecutors have aggressively pursued apparent violations in recent corruption investigations on Capitol Hill, including those of former congressmen Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.) and Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), both of whom are now in prison.
Other lawmakers who have faced financial scrutiny and received extensions include Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who is under federal investigation for renting property to a nonprofit organization while also pushing for federal grants for the nonprofit, and Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.), who is under investigation for his wife’s firm doing unspecified work for imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff while her husband performed legislative favors for him.
