Ted Stevens May Testify At His Corruption Trial

(The Politico)  Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) remains on the witness list to testify at his corruption trial, although there is no guarantee that he will take the stand.

The defense team released a witness list on Tuesday morning that includes Stevens, as well as Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Martha A. Stewart, director for federal relations for the University of Alaska, and Donna DeVarona, a former Olmpic athlete turned broadcaster. Hatch and DeVarona are character witnesses, while Stewart can tell the jury about millions of federal dollars that Stevens has steered toward the university.

The inclusion of Stevens on Tueday's list does not mean he will testify as Stevens and his wife have been on it before, although it leaves open the possibility that he could take the stand. It would be a risky move for Stevens to testify since he would be open to cross-examinatio n under oath by prosecutors, but his appearance and declaration of innocence could have a big impact on the jury.

The trial is expected to wrap up later this week. Prosecutors and Stevens' attorneys are still fighting over whether the defense team has to turn over several thousand e-mails from Catherine Stevens. Catherine Stevens works for the law firm Mayer Brown, and the Justice Dept. is seeking any e-mails or documents she might have sent to Ted Stevens or other people related to this case going back to 1999.

Stevens' attorneys are trying to quash a government subpoena for the documents, but prosecutors have countered that the e-mails will be needed by the Justice Dept. if Mrs. Stevens is put on the stand. Juedge Emmet Sullivan has yet to rule on the issue.