Washington, D.C. ? Sen. Ted Stevens took the stand in his own defense late Thursday afternoon, asserting in a rapid-fire exchange with his lawyer that he’d done no wrong.

“Senator, when you signed those forms, did you believe they were accurate and truthful?” his lawyer, Brendan Sullivan, asked about Stevens’ Senate financial-disclosure forms.

“Yes, sir,” Stevens said.

“Did you ever intentionally file false disclosure forms?” his lawyer asked.

“No, I did not,” Stevens said.

“Did you ever engage in any scheme to conceal anything from the Senate?” Sullivan asked.

“No, sir,” Stevens said.

The 84-year-old Alaska Republican has been charged with failing to report more than $250,000 in alleged gifts and services, largely from the oil field-service company Veco and its chief executive, Bill Allen, Stevens’ former friend. Most of the alleged gifts are connected to renovations that doubled the size of the Stevenses’ home in Girdwood, Alaska, in 2000 and 2001.

Stevens’ testimony, which ended after 20 minutes when court broke for the day, will continue today. Jurors are expected to get the case early next week.