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For a moment, earlier this year, Donald Trump was being taken seriously for his supposed straight talk, the idea being that he said what others were thinking but were held back from saying because of political correctness or some such thing. (SNIP) “The Donald” is theatrical on some (boorish) level, intentionally going without a Hollywood hairstylist or a politician’s conventional coiffure. Remember the felonious Rep. James Traficant of Ohio and his noteworthy hairstyle? It worked for him, too. He got noticed. (SNIP) Trump is a caricature of a populist, come to life, who exists before the television camera and for...

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It's official. TPMmuckraker's favorite ex-convict ex-Congressman Jim Traficant will appear on the ballot for his old House seat in Ohio. A county board of elections ruled today, in a meeting that lasted less than a minute, that Traficant has enough signatures to make it on the ballot. Traficant, who was a Democrat while serving in the House, is running in the 17th District as an independent against Rep. Tim Ryan (D). Ryan replaced Traficant in 2002 when he was kicked out of Congress over 10 felony convictions for bribery, racketeering, tax evasion and other charges. Traficant was released from prison...

Will an ex-convict stage a political comeback? By MEGHAN BARR, Associated Press Writer Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 9:16 a.m. BOARDMAN, Ohio — A hero of the tea party movement is seated in a corner booth at his favorite diner, his famous toupee sticking out above the wooden slats like a warning. That mop of hair, possibly more famous than the man himself, tells the regulars bent over coffee mugs all they need to know: Jimbo has entered the building. He has arrived, as usual, with an entourage. But ever since he was released from prison last fall, Jim Traficant's...

Article is some lefty stuff but also some good skewerings of Dems like Traficant, McKinney, Franken, Howard Dean...

(CNN) — Former Rep. James Traficant had a triumphant homecoming Sunday night, his first public appearance since being released from federal prison, a local paper reports. The Youngstown Vindicator said Monday a supporter-organized welcome home dinner for the former Democratic congressman, which drew the capacity crowd of roughly 1,200 Sunday, included performances by an Elvis impersonator and a polka band, as well as a speech from Traficant himself. The newspaper reported that Traficant was defiant, telling listeners that he'd "been hounded by some government people for a long time" and that the government "had to cheat to convict me."

CLEVELAND - Former U.S. Rep. James Traficant, expelled from Congress in 2002 after his bribery and racketeering conviction, is now dabbling in watercolors and acrylic rather than politics. The Ohio Democrat, who served nine terms in the House of Representatives, is serving eight years in federal prison after being convicted on a 2001 indictment. He's passing the time by painting. Traficant is currently selling 12 paintings, which feature pastoral scenes and horses, for $140 to $205 on the Web site http://www.beammeupart.com. The site's name comes from Traficant's practice of ending his often flamboyant congressional speeches by saying "Beam me up!"...

<p>September 17, 2002 -- NEW Jersey voters already concerned about Sen. Robert Torricelli's low ethical threshold now learn that he's been a paid shill for a group the government identifies as a terrorist organization. Called on this by his Republican opponent, Douglas Forrester, in a debate Thursday, Torricelli said the group had been pulled from the State Department's global terror list and given a clean bill of health. Not true.</p>

A look at the dark underbelly of recent history, from the mid-1990s to the early part of this decade: one minute speeches by former Blue Dog Congressman, James Traficant. He took on the IRS. Then he was impeached and sent to jail. Felon or Fighter for Freedom? A little of both. And he knew how to make a darn good speech. There are many, many more speeches by former, impeached Congressman Traficant in the South Boston Phoenix 'vaults', which will be steadilly loaded and shared in the future, God willing, if people show an interest. South Boston Phoenix is loading...

Insight on the News - National Issue: 03/02/04 Special Report Saffuri's Ties to Terror Suspects By Kenneth R. Timmerman The rise of Khaled Saffuri to political prominence within the U.S. Muslim community has all the ingredients of a Horatio Alger success story. Brought up as a stateless exile in Kuwait, Saffuri came to America as a student in 1982, went to college in San Diego, and soon gravitated into the world of Muslim activism. A talented fund-raiser and behind-the-scenes power broker, Saffuri built bridges to politicians in both parties by generously contributing to their election campaigns, from California libertarian Rep....

Special ReportSaffuri's Ties to Terror Suspects Posted Feb. 23, 2004 By Kenneth R. Timmerman Saffuri (above) has formed relationships with several questionable allies, including Sami al-Arian, who was arrested last year. The rise of Khaled Saffuri to political prominence within the U.S. Muslim community has all the ingredients of a Horatio Alger success story. Brought up as a stateless exile in Kuwait, Saffuri came to America as a student in 1982, went to college in San Diego, and soon gravitated into the world of Muslim activism. A talented fund-raiser and behind-the-scenes power broker, Saffuri built bridges to politicians in both...

WASHINGTON - James A. Traficant, a former Ohio congressman in prison for bribery and racketeering charges, has given his approval to supporters to form a presidential exploratory committee. "The battle to free James Traficant and to evict the Socialists and 'free traders' from the Democratic Party is now under way," campaign spokesman Marcus Belk said. "Someone buy the Washington establishment a bottle of Maalox." Belk said the group, which announced Friday that it had gotten Traficant's approval by letter, has raised $10,224 in cash pledges made on Traficant's campaign Web site. The average contribution was $71, he said. Once a...

There are no coincidences in politics, which is why two major developments last week in the 17th District Congressional race should be viewed with a conspiratorial eye. On Monday, the Traficant for Congress Committee bought more than $20,000 worth of television air time for 30-second commercials. They are scheduled to start airing on all three local stations Oct. 28. James A. Traficant Jr., the former Dem-ocratic congressman-turned-federal prisoner, is on the November general election ballot as an independent — even though he was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives after being convicted in April in U.S. District Court in...

StoRe: U.S. VS. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR. CASE NO., 4:01 CR 207 TRANSCRIPT OF TAPE-RECORDED CONVERSATION BETWEEN CONGRESSMAN JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR., AND RICHARD DETOR, FORMER EMPLOYEE OF U.S. AEROSPACE, MANASSAS, VIRGINIA, ON AUGUST 1, 2001. TAPE PREPARED BY LISA C. NAGY-BAKER, A NOTARY PUBLIC WITHIN AND FOR THE STATE OF OHIO ON THIS DATE, AUGUST 28, 2001, FROM A TAPE SUPPLIED BY CONGRESSMAN TRAFICANT. MR. TRAFICANT: Hello. MR. DETOR: Returning the page. MR. TRAFICANT: Yeah. How you doing? MR. DETOR: Well, having fun. MR. TRAFICANT: I know. I got some information to give you. I got it straight form...

With good behavior, the former congressman could be out in mid-May 2009. By PATRICIA MEADEVINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER Imprisoned ex-congressman James A. Traficant Jr. won't make license plates for the next eight years, but he could build office furniture for federal agencies. Traficant — No. 31213-060 — checked into the Federal Correctional Institution at Allenwood at 2:45 p.m. Monday, after spending six nights in the Summit County Jail. Allenwood is his permanent designation. A week ago today, Traficant, 61, of Poland, began serving his sentence on convictions of racketeering, bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. With good behavior, he could...

WARREN, Ohio (Reuters) - Convicted felon and former Rep. James Traficant wishes he could "beam up" to Ohio. Traficant, who is serving an 8-year sentence at a federal prison in Pennsylvania, is on Ohio's ballot for now, but residency requirements could knock him off, officials said. Traficant, a Democrat who often used the television science-fiction phrase "beam me up" in his rambling political speeches, is trying to win reelection even though in July he was thrown out of the House of Representatives where he had been a member for nine terms. The problem: he is in jail in Pennsylvania and...

Filed at 7:47 p.m. ET U.S. marshals transferred former Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. on Monday from an Ohio jail to a federal prison in Pennsylvania where he will serve eight years for bribery and racketeering. Traficant had asked to be placed in an Ohio prison so he can run for re-election Nov. 5 from his Youngstown district. But the sentencing judge made no recommendation either way. The Constitution states that a congressional candidate must be a resident of the state where he is seeking office. Both Traficant's spokesman and state officials said they did not know if his assignment...

A critic of the U.S. Department of Justice who has accused the agency of selective prosecution and abusing its power is the new head of 17th Congressional District office operations. And, no, it's not James A. Traficant Jr. It's John Walker Culbertson, who says the federal government has covered up what really happened in Waco, Ruby Ridge and Oklahoma City. Until June, Culbertson was a part-time staffer in Traficant's Washington, D.C., congressional office primarily investigating allegations of wrongdoing at the Justice Department and other federal agencies. Culbertson was hired by Traficant in September 2000 and earned $25,911 annually. Two months...

Should the U.S. Justice Dept. investigate possible prosecutorial misconduct in the Traficant case? Vote HERE to cast your ballots. Only one vote per day allowed by each participant so I guess you can vote every day. BTW, I think you can also leave comments there as well.

Despite Expulsion from House, Traficant Still Qualifies for Tax-Funded Pension: $37,120 to Start, $1.2 Mil. Over Lifetime (Alexandria, VA) – Representative Jim Traficant’s saga in Congress may have come to end, but taxpayers could soon be footing the bill for the next chapter – neither his expulsion from the House yesterday nor the possibility of a prison sentence later this month would disqualify him from receiving a Congressional pension that could start at the annual equivalent of $37,120 and total nearly $1.2 million during his lifetime. The estimates were computed by the nonpartisan National Taxpayers Union (NTU), a 335,000-member citizen...