WASHINGTON - April 7 - Earlier today, on a Department of Justice motion, Judge Emmett Sullivan dismissed all charges against former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.

CREW executive director Melanie Sloan said, "While there is no excuse for the disgraceful misconduct of the prosecutors in this case, we should not lose sight of the fact that Sen. Stevens abused his office for personal gain. The dismissal of this matter does not, as Stevens, his lawyers and his supporters have claimed, prove the senator was innocent of the charges. In fact, there was abundant evidence that Sen. Stevens accepted numerous gifts from VECO head Bill Allen and failed to disclose them as required by law. This sordid mess reflects equally poorly on the Public Integrity Section and Sen. Stevens, but in the end it is the public that has lost the most: a corrupt politician has escaped punishment and future prosecutions of politicians have been jeopardized."