It's A Start

Will “Mr. Bridge to Nowhere” finally get his comeuppance?

From Alaska senator caught off guard by indictment, colleague says:

Sen. Ted Stevens was caught by surprise Tuesday by his indictment on charges that he concealed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts and services from a company in his home state, Sen. Daniel Inouye told CNN.

"Apparently, the media knew about it before he did," Inouye said, adding he had just spoken to Stevens, a Republican from Alaska.

Stevens was meeting with Republican colleagues when the indictment was returned, and he was pulled out of the meeting, his colleague said.

"As far as he's concerned, he's not guilty. And I believe him," said Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat who is one of Stevens' closest friends in the Senate.

In the indictment, Stevens is charged with lying about receiving gifts worth more than $250,000 from Veco, an Alaska-based energy company on whose behalf he intervened in Washington.

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