Eideard

A federal grand jury has indicted longtime Senator Ted Stevens, Republican of Alaska, on charges of failing to disclose receiving gifts of services and construction work as part of a wide-ranging corruption inquiry involving public officials and corporations in his home state. The indictment accuses Mr. Stevens of failing to report on his financial disclosure forms receiving gifts of more than $250,000 — in labor and construction materials — from Veco Corp…

The 84-year-old senator has been running for re-election this year while he was under investigative scrutiny, a matter that had not gone unmentioned by Democrats. His opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, has been campaigning hard against the longest-sitting Republican member of the Senate, and Democrats have been touting this race as among its most competitive this year.

Mr. Stevens was first appointed to the Senate in 1968, and has served nearly six full terms. He also had been a United States Attorney in the 1950’s.

Federal officials said they did not know whether Mr. Stevens would surrender to authorities here or in Alaska for an arraignment.

He’s one of the most outstanding examples of corruption and cronyism that has divorced traditional American conservatism from the Republican Party. He’s beloved of those who stand for war and reaction, a bulwark of bigotry and arrogance on a global scale.