Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens had just been convicted of seven felonies, but Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye immediately said he will stand by the man he called “;my brother.”;

The nation's longest-serving Republican senator, Stevens, 84, was found guilty yesterday of violating federal law for not reporting $250,000 in gifts and services given to him by friends and supporters.

Inouye testified for Stevens during his trial, declaring, “;I cannot imagine Ted Stevens telling a lie.”;

Although Inouye is a staunch Democrat and considered a party elder, he continues to strongly back Stevens' re-election.

“;I hope the people of Alaska continue to believe in Ted Stevens, to remember his contributions and to look upon him as a friend,”; Inouye said yesterday.

Inouye and Stevens have served together in the Senate since 1963, and they have both headed the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

Inouye has routinely shared the political power of the defense and commerce committees when Democrats run the Senate, and Stevens has returned the favor when the GOP is in charge.

The relationship has been so tight that for Inouye, not even achieving a 60-vote, filibuster-proof Democratic majority - which could happen if Stevens and other vulnerable GOP senators lose their seats - is worth risking their relationship. In April, Inouye attended a Washington fundraiser for Stevens and also traveled to Alaska to campaign for Stevens' re-election.