Could Stevens and Young be Indicted so Close to Elections?

[Blue_In_AK]

http://www.adn.com/fbi/story/418890.html

By RICHARD MAUER
[e-mail]

Campaigning under the cloud of federal investigations is tough enough, but could Sen. Ted Stevens or Rep. Don Young have the added worries of an indictment before they face the voters? Would prosecutors wait until after the election to bring charges to avoid the appearance of meddling in Alaska politics?

It's been 21 months since the federal corruption investigation surfaced in Alaska with a series of dramatic raids on legislative and other offices. Eight cases have been brought, resulting in convictions in all but one -- and that matter is still pending.

No one outside the government is privy to where the investigation is headed and whether it will eventually lead to charges against Stevens and Young, who deny wrongdoing but who won't discuss specifics about the allegations.

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Questions about the timing of future indictments, should more be handed up by the grand juries, are being heard with increasing frequency in Alaska as the investigation drags on in relative secrecy and the elections approach. It's just three months to the Republican primary, where both Stevens and Young face opponents, and just over five months to the general election, where strong Democratic challengers await.

The Justice Department's policy manual for U.S. attorneys doesn't impose any restrictions on the timing of indictments in public corruption cases. A department spokeswoman in Washington, Laura Sweeney, said such decisions are made on a "case-by-case basis," much like the other factors that go into whether to indict or not.

Kevin Fryslie, the agent in charge of the FBI's Anchorage office, said that was his understanding of the policy too.

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[samdogmom]

1. My guess: It all comes down to how finding a replacement for them

if elected is handled. The Republicans DO NOT want to lose these seats...so they'll game the system.

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Don Young is very likely to lose in the primary

as he is running against Sean Parnell, the lieutenant governor, who will have the backing of our very popular governor Sarah Palin. We have strong Democratic challengers, who will give Parnell a run for his money. (I personally am supporting Diane Benson in the primary, who I believe is a far more progressive candidate than her opponent Ethan Berkowitz, who is supported by Rahm Emanuel and the DLC.)

Ted Stevens doesn't have a strong opponent in the primary, but Anchorage's popular mayor Democrat Mark Begich will be running against him in the general, so it's conceivable that we could have a Democratic senator and a Democratic representative come next year. Nothing would make me happier. :)