U.S. law enforcement agents raided the Alaska home of longest-serving Republican senator Ted Stevens on Monday as part of a corruption probe, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, is under scrutiny by the Justice Department for his ties to an Alaska energy services company, Veco, whose chief executive pleaded guilty in early May to a bribery scheme involving state lawmakers, according to the report.
Contractors told a federal grand jury that in 2000, Veco executives oversaw a lavish remodeling of Stevens's home in Girdwood, an exclusive ski resort.
Stevens said he was informed of the raid and he would not comment on the details of the inquiry.
Stevens, 83, who joined the Senate in 1968, has been considered one of the most powerful members of Congress for more than a decade.
He is now the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, which has oversight of fisheries and other industries critical to his home state.
Stevens is among more than a dozen current and former members of Congress who have come under federal investigation in the past three years over allegations related to their ties to lobbyists, defense contractors, and other corporate interests.
This week, the House and Senate are expected to approve ethics legislation that would require more disclosure of lobbying activities and contributions to lawmakers, among other changes.
Source: Xinhua
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