Obama, McCain, Palin All Agree: Corrupt Republican Senator Must Resign

McCain, Palin Call on Stevens to Step Down
John McCain and Sarah Palin call on Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens to step down following a conviction on seven counts of felony corruption charges.

FOXNews.com
Tuesday, October 28, 2008

John McCain and Sarah Palin, as well as Barack Obama, on Tuesday called on Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens to step down from office following his conviction on seven felony counts for taking gifts from an oil contractor who remodeled the longtime senator's house.

"It is a sign of the health of our democracy that the people continue to hold their representatives to account for improper or illegal conduct, but this verdict is also a sign of the corruption and insider-dealing that has become so pervasive in our nation's capital," McCain said in a written statement.

"It is clear that Senator Stevens has broken his trust with the people and that he should now step down. I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will be spurred by these events to redouble their efforts to end this kind of corruption once and for all," he said.

In an interview Tuesday with CNBC, Palin -- Alaska's governor -- also said Stevens should step aside now and allow the state to elect someone else.

"After being found guilty on seven felony counts, I had hoped Senator Stevens would take the opportunity to do the statesman-like thing and erase the cloud that is covering his Senate seat. He has not done so," she said in a statement released afterward. "Alaskans are grateful for his decades of public service but the time has come for him to step aside. Even if elected on Tuesday, Senator Stevens should step aside to allow a special election to give Alaskans a real choice of who will serve them in Congress."

Palin on Monday called the verdict a "sad day" for Alaska and said she will continue to fight the "culture of corruption" that has pervaded her state.

"As the governor of Alaska I will carefully now monitor the situation and I will take any appropriate action as needed. In the meantime I do ask that the people of Alaska join me in respecting the workings of our judicial system and I'm confident that Sen. Stevens from this point on will do the right thing for the state of Alaska," she said, later calling on Stevens to step down.

Obama also issued a written statement Tuesday saying "yesterday's ruling wasn't just a verdict on Senator Stevens -- but on the broken politics that has infected Washington for decades."

"It's time to put an end to the corruption and influence-peddling, restore openness and accountability, and finally put government back in the hands of the people it serves. Senator Stevens should step down," he said.

Stevens, 84, insists that he is innocent, and his attorneys are planning to file an appeal. A senator since 1958, he said Monday that he will head back to Alaska to ask voters to re-elect him, despite the charges.

"I am obviously disappointed in the verdict but not surprised given the repeated instances of prosecutorial misconduct in this case," Stevens said, claiming several areas to be used for appeal. "I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have."

Stevens is not expected to be back in court until February. In the meantime he must face a tough re-election challenge next week against the Democratic mayor of Anchorage, Mark Begich. The latest Rasmussen poll for that race, conducted earlier this month during Stevens' trial, showed the Republican incumbent leading 49-48 percent.

Stevens faces as much as 35 years in prison, but is not expected to receive a harsh sentence. However, the Senate could expel him even if he is re-elected.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/28/mccain-calls-stevens-step/