The Daily MuckThe prosecution has rested in the federal corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), just thirteen days and infinite calls for a mistrial later. The last day for the prosecution brought emails from a neighbor of Stevens about the work at Stevens’ Girdwood home, an attempt to show that Stevens was more involved with the work than he previously has claimed. But the prosecution didn’t go out on a high note. In yet another motion for a mistrial launched by the defense, the judge threw out key evidence from the prosecution, though he did say the trial would continue. (AP)
Washington treated Wall Street to more tongue lashings yesterday with no less a person than President Bush scolding AIG for its $440, 000 spree at the St. Regis resort. (All this through a spokesperson of course.) The insurance firm tried to fend off critics, saying that the binge was long planned and promising to re-evaluate its spending “in light of the new circumstances in which we are all operating.” Good thing too, because there was another party planned for independent brokers at the Ritz Carlton next week. Meanwhile, the federal government decided the failing insurance business could use another $37.8 billion. (AP/Bloomberg)
Alaska could call in the IRS to see if Sarah Palin owes the state back-taxes on per diem payments she used to cover the cost of commuting from Juneau, the governor’s official residence, to Anchorage, where her home town of Wasilla is located. The state sets aside an allowance to reimburse officials for work-related travel, but the rules change if it seems like the person has made their home elsewhere. (Anchorage Daily News)
In not-so-surprising news, isolation and sensory deprivation almost drove a detainee at Guantanamo bay insane. New documents from a U.S. military officer have revealed that detainee Yaser Hamdi nearly went mad in 2002 due to his treatment at the American military base. In the astute words of the officer, the deprivation of natural light, contact with the outside world, and any kind of recreation brought Hamdi close to “whacking out.” (AP)
Pakistani parliamentarians are not very happy with the U.S. detention of a Pakistani woman accused of trying to kill U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan. The parliamentarians met with the detainee on Wednesday in Texas and demanded her release. If the detainee is anywhere near as lucky as the Chinese Uighurs at Guantanamo, she’s only got four years and a couple appeals to go. (Reuters)
Turns out, hacking into Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-AK) personal email account is a really bad idea. The son of Tennessee State Rep. Mike Kernell (D) was indicted Wednesday for breaking into the Republican vice-presidential nominee’s Yahoo account and could face up to five years in prison. The alleged hacker, David Kernell, pleaded not guilty. (AP)
A watchdog group is sounding the alarm — for the second time — about the role of Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) in the firing of U.S. Attorney General David Iglesias. Given how eager everyone was to cooperate with earlier investigations, we’re sure that this time the call for the involvement of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct will produce results. The group last pressed for an inquiry in March 2007. (Press Release)
“The sins of the fathers. . .” Documents relating to the federal corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens have raised new questions about the relationship between the defunct oil company VECO — a central character in Alaska’s bribery scandals — and Stevens’ son, Ben, a former state legislator, who has long been mixed up in shady dealings. In seven years, the business handed out more than $300,000 to Stevens the younger for “consulting,” that executives think was never done. The former executives evidently did “not like Ben Stevens” and worried that he “was not doing any work.” (Anchorage Daily News)
