Message from Attorney on Traficant's Appeal

Hot Seat for Judges ^ | 07-25-2002 | Linda Kennedy

[Middle Man]

I've been in email contact with this individual and she fills in some gaps (Baumgartner angle, push for electronic vote in Congress) that have not been covered elsewhere. In addition to being an attorney she is the host for the "Hot Seat For Judges" radio show.

[Middle Man]

Ping

[PJ-Comix]

First, before the vote for expulsion occurred, there was a motion to stay all proceedings until September, in order to look into the alleged corruption by the judge and prosecutor in his case. TRAFICANT WON the oral motion!

I still can't figure out why Congress couldn't WAIT for just 6 weeks until they came back into session to vote on expulsion. There was no Congressional business during that period so Traficant wouldn't even be able to do anything in Congress during that period. If they waited, at least they could have seen how the appeals process went. Instead, they RUSHED to judgement and acted like they were railroading Traficant out of office.

[Sunshine Sister]

The third paragraph tells me all I need to know. How can the man not be guilty if a jury considered the evidence and found him to be guilty?

[PJ-Comix]

What do we do when Elsebeth Baumgartner, suspended Ohio attorney who was trying to get the government to investigate major corruption in Ohio, is now going through a criminal proceeding today and tomorrow, which could put her in jail for 6 months (which is not even lawful)?

Among her charges are that of corruption by the hubby of Judge Wells---Charles Clark. This is the same guy who Traficant alleges was in business dealings with the prosecution. At least INVESTIGATE this allegation!!!

[weikel]

They didn't act like they were railroading him they were railroading him. Same thing happened to Nixon and I guess anyone else who PO's the Washington establishment.

[Middle Man]

When you go, as Traficant did, to the heart of what's wrong with this country -- big government -- no effort will be spared to silence you. These forces are becoming more brazen every day.

[Middle Man]

The author addresses that point -- and it's a valid one -- in Paragraph 6.

There are too many loose ends about this case. We have mass murderers in and out of government who beat the system for years on end, or never even make it to trial, yet this whole episode -- from indictment to expulsion -- happened within months. And this is only the second time in our history a sitting member has been ejected. Why the rush to judgment?

[sandydipper]

Traficant was guilty - he should go. Toricelli is guilty he sould be in jail. Clinton is guilty he should be in jail.

Traficant oughta rat out the worthless S/H's and write a book.

[Ravenstar]

I think you are being naive. Trafficant had become an independant so he had become a danger of doing what he wanted to. The "Reporats" of Congress knew the danger! I want you to notice that the Clinton and Torricelli evidence are well documented and incontrivertible. Trafficant's charges are documented by hearsay and innuendo. Clinton and Torricelli skate, Trafficant evicted with in months of being charged. Condit was told by the Demorats to vote for Trafficant to complete the guilt by association process. He was being a good Demorat or he would be ratted out as to his full involvement with Chandra. If you want to take your country back go to AmericaFirstParty.org. Note the justice department of BUSH under ASHCROFT is not going after Slick or Torricelli. Doesn't this even make you wonder????

Ravenstar

[Alberta's Child]

Here's an interesting repeat post from an earlier thread that I posted over the weekend. Traficant had no interest in "rooting out corruption" or "ending big government" or anything of that sort -- he was an opportunist who began casting votes with the Republican majority in Congress when it became clear to him that they would eventually decide whether to throw him out of Congress or not.

Traficant's lifetime American Conservative Untion (ACU) voting record is as follows:

1985 -- 0
1986 -- 9
1987 -- 5
1988 -- 8
1989 -- 25
1990 -- 13
1991 -- 15
1992 -- 8
1993 -- 21
1994 -- 33
1995 -- 48
1996 -- 50
1997 -- 76
1998 -- 64
1999 -- 52
2000 -- 60
2001 -- 76

Overall -- 34

I simply cannot understand how anyone who considered himself or herself a principled concervative could ever shed any tears over this loser. Those single-digit ratings from early in his career put him down in Maxine Waters territory, and he never even came close to a rating of 50 until after the Republicans took over control of the House in 1995.

And standing there with an oversized Brillo pad on your head complaining about the people in government who are pursuing a criminal investigation against you hardly makes you a principled public servant. He sounded no different than James Carville even on his best day.

[carenot]

I still can't figure out why Congress couldn't WAIT for just 6 weeks until they came back into session to vote on expulsion.

Richard Detore testified his lawyer in 2001 told him that "This administration wants him (Traficant) out."

They told Detore that Reno was not AG at that time. He said, "I know."

You can watch it again at C-Span.org

[Middle Man]

Dems seem to cross party lines (Sens. Nighthorse and Shelby, to name two) more easily than Republicans. Sometimes they do it just to win an election.

But like the Dems that voted for Reagan, he may have found himself over the course of his legislative career becoming more alienated from the...makeup and direction of the Democratic Party of today. Nothing wrong with growing in office.

[carenot]

. How can the man not be guilty if a jury considered the evidence and found him to be guilty?

There was only hearsay evidence from convicted felons that were promised easier time if they would lie about Traficant.

No FBI testimony, no fingerprints, no videos, no wiretaps, no nothing.

I need to watch the tape again where one of the idiot congressmen said Traficant was too smart to get caught! I can't remember his name.

[Alberta's Child]

It's one thing to "grow" while you're in office, but you simply don't go from an ACU rating of 0 to an ACU rating of 76 in the course of your career and call yourself "principled" by any stretch of the imagination. The fact that he was a bordeline communist until after the Republicans gained control of the House is just too much of a coincidence for me.

[Marysecretary]

It makes you wonder who has the goods on Bush and Ashcroft. Blackmail, maybe? I think they're both good men and men of integrity but may have something in their pasts that could really hurt them now.

[carenot]

Traficant was guilty - he should go.

Traficant is not guilty, and we need a lot more like him.

We don't need the people that voted to expel Traficant after they said they didn't believe he was guilty.

[carenot]

. Note the justice department of BUSH under ASHCROFT is not going after Slick or Torricelli. Doesn't this even make you wonder????

Not me. I expected it.

[Ohioan]

You may be doing Trafficant a major injustice. If you look at how far Left some men who had been Conservatives before FDR, swung in the 1930s, you will realize that changing one's direction is nothing new. Certainly Trafficant looks better than some Democrats who started out knowing what was right, and then to humor Roosevelt embraced what was wrong.

There is also a period in there, when he had beaten one set of charges, and was not under any immdediate attack, where he still continued to move to the Right--even though he comes from what has traditionally been the most "Liberal" section of my State.

There has been enough that is questionable about the drive to convict Trafficant, from my perspective, that I will withhold judgment on the merits of the Court Case. As for a man, who has increasingly expressed views with which I agree, and who has been unafraid to denounce outrages which should be denounced; I would be very unfair indeed, not to thank him for those views, even as I applaud those denunciations.

There is nothing about Jim Trafficant which would suggest a fawner. He is his own man; and has long demonstrated the fact.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site

[carenot]

Seems to me he went in believing in the Democrat Party, and learned about them and the Republicans as he went along.

He always voted what he thought was best for his constiuents.