Former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) hailed the Justice Department’s decision on Wednesday to drop the corruption case against him.“I always knew that there would be a day when the cloud that surrounded me would be removed,— Stevens said in a written statement. “That day has finally come.—The Justice Department filed a motion Wednesday morning asking District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan to drop the case against Stevens on the grounds that prosecutors had repeatedly failed to provide the Senator’s lawyers with evidence that could have been helpful in his defense.Stevens was convicted in October of seven counts of failing to report more than $250,000 worth of gifts on his annual financial disclosure forms.Sullivan has scheduled a Tuesday hearing on the Justice Department motion.Sullivan had found the original prosecution team in contempt of court for failing to cooperate with his investigation of allegations of misconduct, and the Justice Department brought in a new legal team to oversee the case.Stevens said in his statement, “I am grateful that the new team of responsible prosecutors at the Department of Justice has acknowledged that I did not receive a fair trail and has dismissed all the charges against me.—But he added, “It is unfortunate that an election was affected by proceedings now recognized as unfair.— Stevens lost his re-election bid to Democrat Mark Begich days after his conviction.Stevens’ attorneys Brendan Sullivan and Robert Cary issued a statement recounting myriad misdeeds by the prosecution, and concluding “this jury verdict was obtained unlawfully. … In essence, the government tricked the jury into returning a tainted verdict against the Senator based on false evidence.—Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in a statement: “I was pleased with the news that the Justice Department will drop all charges against Senator Ted Stevens, but I am deeply disturbed that the government can ruin a man’s career and then say never mind.’ There is nothing that will ever compensate for the loss of his reputation or leadership to the State of Alaska.—