Ted Stevens Expected To Testify On Thursday

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is expected to take the stand on Thursday as the end of his corruption trial nears, a move that legal experts call a huge gamble for the Alaska Republican.

Catherine Stevens is scheduled to testify later today after another defense witness, Bob Persons, finishes up. Ted Stevens, if he does in fact testify, will likely appear tomorrow.

Defense lawyers told Judge Emmet Sullivan today that Ted Stevens would like testify in his own defense. Stevens is charged with failing to report more than $250,000 in improper gifts from 1999 to 2006. Stevens has denied the charges, and his defense team has been able to undermine portions of the Justice Dept. case against him.

The trial may finish by Monday, meaning jurors could issue a decision next week, only two weeks before Election Day. Stevens, who was first appointed to the Senate in 1968, is running for a seventh full term.