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The Sunlight Foundation was founded in 2006 with the goal of using technology to enable citizens to learn more about what their elected representatives are doing, to help reduce corruption, ensure greater transparency and... [more]
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Ted Stevens
Alaska delegation promises to publicize every earmark
Written by Paul Blumenthal on March 3, 2008 - 1:31pm.
Read more: Alaska | Don Young | Earmarks | Lisa Murkowski | Ted Stevens | Transparency (see all terms)
Read more: Alaska | Don Young | Earmarks | Lisa Murkowski | Ted Stevens | Transparency (see all terms)
Source Name
McClatchy
Snippit
Citing a new era of "sunlight and transparency," Alaska's congressional delegation will begin disclosing every request from the state for specially earmarked federal money. A $20 million earmark sought by the Mat-Su Borough for a ferry project? A $15 million allocation for dredging in the Port of Anchorage? $1.6 million for National Weather Service data buoys in Alaska?
Ted Stevens Explains Earmarks
Noted without comment. This is Part I of Stevens' PR offensive against the anti-earmark brigades. You can check out Parts II and III at his Web site. The rest is in the extended entry:
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 26, 2008 - 12:09pm.
Read more: Earmarks | Ted Stevens (see all terms)
NewsTrust Focuses on Congress
NewsTrust.net - an online social news rating site - is focusing in on Congress this week and is looking for users, new and current, to contribute stories that exemplify quality reporting on Congress. Over at the NewsTrust blog they've singled out some of the stories submitted so far, including a number of articles and blog posts on the Senate fight over telecom immunity in the FISA reauthorization bill. They are hosting this Congress feature through Sunday, so get over there and review some articles. Feel free to submit blog posts or articles, I just submitted this great Alaska Daily News article about Sen. Ted Stevens' use of the earmarking process to help enrich a former staffer and fisheries industry lobbyist.
(NewsTrust is a Sunlight grantee.)
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 13, 2008 - 5:55pm.
Read more: Congress | Journalism | NewsTrust.net | Ted Stevens (see all terms)
SeaLife was good deal for ex-aide to Stevens
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 11, 2008 - 11:37am.
Read more: Earmarks | Fishing Industry | Ted Stevens (see all terms)
Read more: Earmarks | Fishing Industry | Ted Stevens (see all terms)
Source Name
Alaska Daily News
Snippit
New documents have emerged in Seward showing that a $1.6 million earmark in 2005 by Sen. Ted Stevens was engineered so it would lead to the purchase of property owned by his former aide, Trevor McCabe, an Anchorage fisheries lobbyist.
Stevens Adds Millions in Earmarks to Omnibus
Written by Paul Blumenthal on December 18, 2007 - 10:59am.
Read more: Earmarks | omnibus | Ted Stevens (see all terms)
Read more: Earmarks | omnibus | Ted Stevens (see all terms)
Source Name
Roll Call
Snippit
Despite scrutiny from investigators representing at least five federal departments and agencies, a midsummer raid of his home by law enforcement officials and a home-state governor increasingly hostile to earmarks, GOP Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska is showing no signs of abandoning earmarks and directed spending, netting interests in the state more than $88 million in this year’s omnibus, according to a review by Roll Call.
Oil, Politics, & Bribes
Last Friday, PBS' NOW with David Brancaccio covered the VECO Alaska oil corruption scandal. If you're new to the scandal that has enveloped these non-continental politicians and is creeping up on Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young this video is the place to start. Below is a 6 minute clip from the full video. Watch the full video here.
Written by Paul Blumenthal on November 27, 2007 - 12:52pm.
Read more: Alaska | Alaska Ethics Investigations | Bill Allen | Don Young | Ted Stevens | VECO (see all terms)
‘Brothers’ Stevens, Inouye share defense-earmark haul
Written by Paul Blumenthal on November 20, 2007 - 10:34am.
Read more: Daniel Inouye | Earmarks | Ted Stevens (see all terms)
Read more: Daniel Inouye | Earmarks | Ted Stevens (see all terms)
Source Name
The Hill
Snippit
Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) call each other “brother,” and that brotherly relationship is paying off in defense earmarks worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
A Stevens Earmark Funds a ‘Ferry to Nowhere’
Written by Paul Blumenthal on November 15, 2007 - 11:11am.
Read more: Earmarks | Ted Stevens | VECO (see all terms)
Read more: Earmarks | Ted Stevens | VECO (see all terms)
Source Name
Roll Call
Snippit
The $20 million earmark penned by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) for a ferry project in the state — part of new defense spending legislation signed by President Bush earlier this week — could be a financial boon for those close to the lawmaker, including several figures in a high-profile federal political corruption probe in Alaska.
'I'll Sell My Soul to the Devil'
Written by Paul Blumenthal on November 13, 2007 - 11:28am.
Read more: Alaska | Alaska Ethics Investigations | Bill Allen | Don Young | Ted Stevens | VECO (see all terms)
Read more: Alaska | Alaska Ethics Investigations | Bill Allen | Don Young | Ted Stevens | VECO (see all terms)
Source Name
Washington Post
Snippit
When the FBI came looking for corruption in Alaska politics, it found an excellent perch in Suite 604 of the Baranof Hotel in Juneau, the state capital. There, a profane septuagenarian named Bill Allen did business throughout a 2006 special session called to set taxes on the oil industry. With hundred-dollar bills in his front pocket for ease of access when lawmakers turned up with their hands out, the oil-services company executive turned in a bravura performance before the pinhole camera that federal agents installed opposite his favorite chair.
FBI investigating Stevens' fishing bills
Written by Paul Blumenthal on October 31, 2007 - 10:38am.
Read more: Alaska Ethics Investigations | Ben Stevens | Fishing Industry | Ted Stevens | VECO (see all terms)
Read more: Alaska Ethics Investigations | Ben Stevens | Fishing Industry | Ted Stevens | VECO (see all terms)
Source Name
AP
Snippit
Federal authorities investigating Sen. Ted Stevens are trolling the Alaska fishing industry for evidence of whether the powerful Republican pushed seafood legislation that benefited his lobbyist son.
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Past Projects
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Congressional Web Site Investigation:Employing citizen oversight to find out if we are getting our money’s worth from congressional Web sites.
Today's Ethics Watch
No money coming to Young’s legal defense: Alaska congressman Don Young (R) is having trouble getting contributions to his legal defense fund. A document filed with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shows “no activity” since the fund was approved by the committee on Jan. 9. (The Hill)
Seats of Power: A Return to Skybox Lobbying?: Not long ago, lobbyists regularly entertained lawmakers and their aides in skyboxes at local sports arenas. But after a series of scandals on Capitol Hill, the law was changed to forbid congressional officials from accepting anything of value from lobbyists without repayment -- let alone the best seats in the house. (Washington Post)
Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending: Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner. (Washington Post)
Dems, GOP together nix Murtha earmark: Democrats and Republicans joined together to strip a pet project of Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) from the 2009 intelligence authorization bill — the same project Democrats defended last year. (The Hill)
NAPA launches collaboration Web site: If you’ve ever wished your federal agency could adopt wikis, use YouTube or delve into the virtual world but feared the security, technology and political barriers were too high to overcome, take heart. You’ve got supporters, and they have success stories. (NextGov)
Jefferson lawyers cite race case in change of venue request: Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) lawyers have asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling denying a change of venue for his corruption trial. (The Hill)
Jefferson Tries New Argument: Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has asked a federal court to use an international criminal law treaty to force the depositions of three people in Nigeria who have been implicated in corruption charges levied against him. (Roll Call)
Foreign Gifts Test Rules: Even as new ethics restrictions have made it difficult for Members and staff to accept gifts — aside from token baseball caps or T-shirts — one area remains where lawmakers and their staffs can collect trinkets more or less guilt-free: foreign travel. (Roll Call)
K St.’s ‘Max Out’ Crowd: The 20 top K Street donors this election cycle have handed federal candidates nearly $1.8 million in personal cash. The majority of that money, $1.3 million, has gone to help Democrats as the party in charge of Capitol Hill looks to expand its majority. (Roll Call)
Senator’s Ties to Real Estate Draw Criticism: He has made millions as a title insurance executive, landlord and real estate developer in this college town, where the economy, despite trouble nationwide, is still growing nicely. Now, as a United States senator, with the mortgage mess fueling a national economic slowdown, Richard C. Shelby has more say over the revamping of housing finance laws than almost anyone else in Congress. (New York Times)
Oil Lobby Reaches Out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump: Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the oil and gas industry is waging an unusually pricey campaign to burnish its image. (Washington Post)
[ More in the Archive ]
Seats of Power: A Return to Skybox Lobbying?: Not long ago, lobbyists regularly entertained lawmakers and their aides in skyboxes at local sports arenas. But after a series of scandals on Capitol Hill, the law was changed to forbid congressional officials from accepting anything of value from lobbyists without repayment -- let alone the best seats in the house. (Washington Post)
Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending: Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner. (Washington Post)
Dems, GOP together nix Murtha earmark: Democrats and Republicans joined together to strip a pet project of Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) from the 2009 intelligence authorization bill — the same project Democrats defended last year. (The Hill)
NAPA launches collaboration Web site: If you’ve ever wished your federal agency could adopt wikis, use YouTube or delve into the virtual world but feared the security, technology and political barriers were too high to overcome, take heart. You’ve got supporters, and they have success stories. (NextGov)
Jefferson lawyers cite race case in change of venue request: Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) lawyers have asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling denying a change of venue for his corruption trial. (The Hill)
Jefferson Tries New Argument: Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has asked a federal court to use an international criminal law treaty to force the depositions of three people in Nigeria who have been implicated in corruption charges levied against him. (Roll Call)
Foreign Gifts Test Rules: Even as new ethics restrictions have made it difficult for Members and staff to accept gifts — aside from token baseball caps or T-shirts — one area remains where lawmakers and their staffs can collect trinkets more or less guilt-free: foreign travel. (Roll Call)
K St.’s ‘Max Out’ Crowd: The 20 top K Street donors this election cycle have handed federal candidates nearly $1.8 million in personal cash. The majority of that money, $1.3 million, has gone to help Democrats as the party in charge of Capitol Hill looks to expand its majority. (Roll Call)
Senator’s Ties to Real Estate Draw Criticism: He has made millions as a title insurance executive, landlord and real estate developer in this college town, where the economy, despite trouble nationwide, is still growing nicely. Now, as a United States senator, with the mortgage mess fueling a national economic slowdown, Richard C. Shelby has more say over the revamping of housing finance laws than almost anyone else in Congress. (New York Times)
Oil Lobby Reaches Out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump: Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the oil and gas industry is waging an unusually pricey campaign to burnish its image. (Washington Post)
[ More in the Archive ]