Posted on 07/19/2002 4:18:56 PM PDT by kattracks
America's number one talk radio host Rush Limbaugh urged Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, on Friday to deliver a "farewell expose" on his fellow Democrats before they vote to expel him from the House on corruption charges next week.
"Congressman, I know you're out there," Limbaugh told his audience. "I would love to hear you deliver a farewell expose, if you will, on the floor of the House, blowing the whistle on all the Democrats who stood behind Clinton and Condit but aren't standing behind you."
The conservative talker said Traficant's bribery conviction paled next to the crimes of the Clinton administration.
"We have a president who was convicted of perjury, lying before a federal judge," he complained. "We had a guy who was perhaps giving nuclear secrets to the Chinese, breaking all kinds of campaign finance laws."
Back then, Limbaugh reminded, senators said they acquitted Clinton because removing him from office would have been "overturning the will of the people." Democrat leaders Tom Daschle and Dick Gephardt made much the same argument for their decision not to force Rep. Gary Condit, D-Calif., to resign last year over the Chandra Levy cover-up.
Under House rules, Traficant will have 30 minutes to address his colleagues before any expulsion vote.
"He's promised one hell of a show on the floor of the House," said Limbaugh. "And what he's done so far probably is nothing compared to what he's going to do."
Two years ago, Traficant accused former Attorney General Janet Reno of treason, telling Fox News Channel that the Clintons chose her for the job because she has a sordid past that made her easy to blackmail.
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Ditto. Anything of value he might had had to say got lost in the bloviation and self-promotion. He was nothing but Al Sharpton without the tan. And Sharpton's hair looked better.
No,it was professional courtesy... one crook to another.
LOL! How true, how true....
Thanks for the good belly laugh! Nothing like a good dose of scathing cynicism now and then.
Except for the fact that I have ALWAYS been a conspiracy theorist, I agree with your post 100%. Mr. Detore was extremely compelling and I believe totally honest. His life has been ruined because he would not testify against Traficant. If their case was that solid, why would they pressure him to testalie against Traficant.
Uh, because he's a criminal, among other things? How about because he's an idiot? How about because he's an embarrassment to our whole notion of competent governance? How about because he's an overweight goon with an over-inflated ego and little to justify it?"
I think that you are right. He is being persecuted and for not much more that the BS that you have outlined. It's not ilegal to be a self important, overweight jerk, but to me that's been the extent of the 'evidence' against him. As to "competent governance" . . . where do you find evidence of that in Congress?
As for your 'professional' prosecutor - Walker - he sure choked when he had to admit that 2 Congresmen were not expelled from Congress because of the RAPE of 2 underage pages. But you think it is okay to expel Traficant. Amazing!
But hey, since he's proven an amusing thorn in the Democrats' side, let's just give him a bye, all the while claiming to be the party of morality and honor. There's no double standard there at all.
It was the federal court in Cleveland not Youngstown. Also no members of the jury could be from his district, an hour away from Cleveland.
The husband of the Judge in this case is a partner in a law firm that does business with the Cafaros, the chief witnesses against Traficant.
Both of these reasons, the jury makeup and the judge's conflict of interest make for the strong possibility of appeal.
I'm not saying the man is pure as the driven snow (he's not) but it looks like his legal rights have been trampeled upon.
While that may serve as grounds for reversal, it doesn't address the question of Traficant's guilt. TO have a verdict vacated on a technicality still leaves him wide open to censure (including expulsion) in the House.
It is likely that, in their zeal to silence Traficant, his enemies trampled some legal niceties. But I think the man is as guilty as Dan Rostenkowski, and dumber than a box of shovels.
Hey, fuhgeddaboudit. Here, you're amongst friends. Pass the linguini.
Once my very Italian grandfather was standing in an airport lounge waiting for someone to arrive from a flight, and Perry Como came in. The moment he saw my grandfather, with his sunglasses and golf cap, just standing there, quietly staring, Como turned tail and got the hell out of there. Guess he owed somebody money.
Legal niceties = due process.
If Traficant gets 17 months like Rostie when it's all said and done, I'd say that fair...but I don't expect fairness, more like 10 years or more in prison.
We're the first ones to complain when some legbreaker gets his conviction thrown out on a technicality. But we're willing to use that "defense" for this jester? If the appellate court believes there is adequate conflict of interest on the judge's part, then they will overturn and remand for retrial. Otherwise, this element of "due process" has been served to the court's satisfaction, if not to Coonhead's.
Keep in mind that something similar happened to Newt Gingrich. But he was at least smart enough to let the grist grind to its logical conclusion. Later, the charges were all dropped, even though the censure stood. He never had to do any time because the tax charges were all bogus. If that is true of Skunkhead Traficant, then he would have been much better served keeping that gaping maw of his shut and letting time redeem him. But this whole affair has been a stage for the stooge to play out his tiresome act on, and it's about time for his final curtain.
I expect he'll get 7 to 10 years, and maybe serve 2 or 3 in some country club facility with the rest of his mob buddies before being paroled to sell used appliances.
HMMMMM. B-O-H-I-C-A time.
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