Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens said he intended to take the witness stand in his own defense at his corruption trial, a step which would expose the veteran Republican lawmaker to questioning by prosecutors.
Stevens, who is charged with filing false financial disclosure forms with the Senate, was one of four witnesses scheduled to testify on Wednesday, and on Tuesday he told the judge he understood he had no legal obligation to do so.
Lawyers often regard testimony by the accused as a risky strategy, because of the possibility intense cross-examination by prosecutors could undermine the defense.
Stevens is charged with failing to disclose more than $250,000 worth of home renovations and gifts from a close friend, Bill Allen, whose oil-services company had major business in the state.
Stevens has said his wife, Catherine, who also may testify, was responsible for the family finances and for the renovation at their home in Girdwood, Alaska near Anchorage.
He said the family had paid all the bills it received for the renovation, but Allen said he did not submit bills for the entire project because of his friendship with the senator. Allen has pleaded guilty to bribing state lawmakers.
A guilty verdict would make Stevens's re-election bid more difficult, meaning the trial's outcome could influence the Democratic Party's attempt to tighten its hold on the U.S. Senate.
Last week former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a Democrat, testified as a character witness on Stevens' behalf.
The defense called another character witness on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, who told the jury that he has known Stevens for more than 30 years.
"He's totally honest," Hatch said, calling Stevens one of Senate's "most decent and honorable" members and describing him as "a very good person."
But under cross-examination, Hatch said he had never been to Stevens' home in Alaska and had no personal knowledge about the case. "All I know is what I've read in the newspapers," he said.
(additional reporting by James Vicini)
(editing by David Wiessler)
