Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who has been indicted on seven counts of making false statements on his financial disclosure forms, has stepped down from his post atop two committees, according to a senior GOP aide.
Republicans may vote as early as Wednesday afternoon to select replacements.
Consistent with GOP bylaws that require Members who are under felony indictment to relinquish their ranking posts on committees, Stevens, the longest-serving Republican Senator, has officially stepped down as ranking member of both the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas) is the next GOP Member in seniority on the Commerce Committee behind Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican nominee for president and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.
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