WASHINGTON - JULY 31 - Yesterday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service raided Senator Ted Stevens' (R-AK) home. Sen. Stevens is under federal investigation for his dealings with Bill Allen, founder of VECO Corp., an Alaska-based oil field services and engineering company that has been awarded tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) believes it is imperative that no member under federal investigation be involved in the oversight or appropriations of any agency involved in investigating that member. Sen. Stevens should immediately step down from his position on the Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said today, "Senators should follow the lead of their House colleagues and require anyone whose property has been searched in connection with a criminal probe to relinquish his plum committee post. Senator Stevens, who sits on the subcommittee responsible for funding the Justice Department, which is conducting a probe into his potentially criminal activities, should immediately resign his position on the Appropriations committee."

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Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions.

For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact Naomi Seligman Steiner at 202.408.5565/press@citizensforethics.org.

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