Stevens’ Request to Attend to Senate Business Could Give Jury “Negative Impressions,” Judge WarnsWith Congress working around the clock to stave off the collapse of the U.S. financial market, indicted Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) doesn’t want his constituents to think he’s not representing them in the midst of crisis.
So even though Stevens is in a crisis of his own — the federal trial to determine whether he failed to report over $250,000 in gifts and home repairs on his financial disclosure forms began yesterday — he asked permission from the judge to be excused from courtroom appearances so he can attend to Senate business on the bailout.
Judge Emmet Sullivan warned Stevens and his attorneys that this might give the jurors the idea that Stevens didn’t care about his trial.
“We don’t want to have any negative impressions going on,” Sullivan told Stevens, according to an article by The Hill. “People reach the wrong impressions for the wrong reasons.”
From the AP:
Being absent as Congress considers a historic $700 billion bailout of the financial market could make it look like the corruption charges have made it impossible for Stevens to do his job.
Prosecutors didn’t oppose Stevens’ plan to leave court but they said Stevens shouldn’t be able to use the crisis to cast himself as a dedicated senator in front of jurors. The judge said Stevens could leave court but jurors would not be told why.
