Thanks for nothing, Orrin
Catherine Stevens and the Lion in WinterOrrin Hatch's testimony in support of disgraced Sen. Ted Stevens' character may actually have helped convict Stevens on federal corruption charges. Colleen Walsh, a juror who has her own blog, says Stevens' frail grandfatherly appearance helped his defense far more than impressive character testimony from the likes of Hatch and former Secretary of State Collin Powell. Walsh told Legal Times:
We really liked Colin Powell, but the facts still said that [Stevens] got gifts and didn’t report them.The prosecution used Hatch's testimony that Stevens is "a lion of the Senate" to undermine the defense's narrative that the Alaska senator was unaware of what was going on around him. Lions, of course, are the masters of their domain.
It also didn't help leonine Stevens that the jury thought the defense was trying to throw his wife, Catherine, under the bus by saying she was responsible for the family's transactions.
Before you call Hatch an idiot, keep in mind that Stevens re-election defeat moved the Utah senator up to the second most senior Republican senator. Hatch just might be the fox of the Senate.
2 Comments:
What an exciting thought - the second most senior Republican Senator claims to represent Utah.
I don't suppose there's anyway to defeat him at the ballot box (he deserves it almost as much as Ted Stevens).
I line up pretty closely to Hatch politically, but this kind of thing drives me insane. He puts membership in the Senate "club" ahead of just about any other consideration. Just say, "Personally, I like the guy, but he's convicted and has to go."
Is that so hard?
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