On Stand, Stevens Flashes Temper
'I'm Not Going to Get Into a Numbers Game With You,' Pol Tells Prosecutor
Stevens also said today that Allen lied to the jury in his testimony.
Testifying that the renovation was overseen by his wife Catherine, Stevens said his wife undertook the project while he focused on his work. "Catherine threw herself into the project," he said.
Under questioning by lead defense attorney Brendan Sullivan Jr., Stevens said of his wife, "She got all the bills and paid all the bills."
Questioned about Allen's earlier testimony in which he said that Stevens knew he wasn't being billed for work done on the house, Stevens, 84, shot back, "That's just an absolute lie."
As Sullivan read a transcript of Allen's testimony from the trial that Stevens had told Allen he knew Veco was doing a lot of work on the house, Stevens interjected, "That's another falsehood."
Stevens testified that he was unaware of add-ons to the house that Allen and others built, including a steel staircase and a small balcony made of steel on the third floor.
"Did you know a porch would be built?" Sullivan asked his client.
"No," said Stevens, who first testified Thursday in the trial that began last month.
The defense then reviewed exhibits the government introduced, including an October 2002 note that Stevens sent Allen, which stated, "You owe me a bill ... remember Torricelli my friend ... Friendship is one thing, Congressional Ethics rules are an entirely different matter."
Asked why he included a reference to former Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., who decided not to run for re-election to the U.S. Senate amid an ethics investigation, Stevens testified about the former lawmaker's legal issues. "It was a serious problem because he took something from a friendship deal," Stevens testified.
Stevens also contradicted Allen's testimony that he was only asking for bills to give the appearance that everything was being done properly. Stevens' attorney asked him, "Did you ever tell [Bob] Persons you were trying to cover your ass by asking for this bill?" "No," Stevens said.
Persons is a friend of Stevens' who looked in on the home renovation project and kept the senator updated on its progress.
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