"In Ted Stevens’ trial on charges of failing to report years’ worth of gifts from convicted lobbyist Bill Allen, his wife Catherine plays a critical role in his defense. She was in charge of the teepee, as Sen. Stevens put it. She handled all the bills. Sen. Stevens had no idea Bill Allen supplied home improvements they hadn’t paid for.

Pointing the finger at his wife may help Sen. Stevens fight the charges in the trial, but evidence about his wife’s conduct has created new ethical and legal problems for the senator.

Undisputed evidence shows that Sen. Stevens allowed his wife, a highly-paid Washington, D.C., lawyer, to use his government-paid Senate staff as a personal errand service.

Catherine Stevens used her husband’s Senate staff to keep the family checkbook. She used the senator’s staff to pay her credit card bills from luxury stores like Saks Fifth Avenue. Catherine Stevens had the senator’s staff make runs to an ATM to fetch cash for her. The senator’s staff wrapped Christmas gifts for the Stevens, walked the family dog, fed the family cat, cut the family lawn, paid personal parking tickets and handled overdue personal video rental bills.

Much of that help came from someone who reportedly cost U.S. taxpayers $126,000 a year, supposedly to perform official U.S. government business."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Arrogance of power (The Anchorage Daily News 10/22)
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Other News:
Which Stevens will the jurors judge? (The Anchorage Daily News 10/22)
Fate of Sen. Stevens In the Jury's Hands (The Washington Post 10/22)
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GOP official: Stevens’ re-election depends on trial outcome (The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 10/22)

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Sen. Stevens loses bid to dismiss corruption case (10/3)
Column: Sen. Stevens says wife controls 'tepee' (09/26)
Alaska Natives on witness list for Sen. Stevens trial (9/23)
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