federal prosecutors stole at least one U.S. senator's seat

wow...

I'm not a big fan of the former senator, especially in terms of fiscal proclivities-- and I'm not sure whether he's truly (vs. legally) innocent-- but this shouldn't happen to anyone. (And if this also harmed others, wow...)

Here's the AP's Devlin Barrett and Nedra Pickler in the C-J...

Faced with embarrassing revelations about withheld evidence, the Justice Department on Wednesday moved to reverse the conviction of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who lost his bid for re-election just days after a jury found that he had lied about gifts and home renovations.

Justice Department lawyers asked a judge to dismiss the indictment against Stevens and toss out his conviction - effectively killing their own courtroom victory with a shocking admission of misbehavior by prosecutors.

The Stevens case, the government's highest-profile attack on congressional corruption in recent years, was plagued by problems that continued to pile up even after a jury found him guilty. The last straw, apparently, was the failure of prosecutors to turn over notes of a crucial interview in which a witness contradicted a statement he made later under oath at trial....

Stevens is expected to be back in court Tuesday when U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan holds a hearing on the government request. Stevens had appealed his conviction and had been awaiting sentencing....

While reaction in the Senate was muted, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the whole episode grossly unfair.

"I am deeply disturbed that the government can ruin a man's career and then say, 'Never mind.' There is nothing that will ever compensate for the loss of his reputation or leadership to the state of Alaska," Murkowski said....

William Canfield, a former Stevens staffer and longtime friend, said some of the trial's effects may never be undone. Specifically, he said, at least one Senate colleague - John Sununu of New Hampshire - lost his bid for re-election after Stevens' legal problems became a campaign issue...