Posted on 09/02/2010 6:43:09 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
That isn't what I'm reading.
"In 1983, he was indicted on bribery charges after federal officials produced recordings of Traficant's accepting $163,000 from La Cosa Nostra figures to overlook local gambling, loan-sharking, prostitution and drug trafficking. The sheriff admitted he took the money, but insisted he was conducting his own investigation of the underworld."
snip
As Rhodes predicted to me three months before it happened, Traficant rode his folk-hero status to a stunning 18,000-vote defeat of Republican Rep. (1978-84) Lyle Williams in November. The results were all the more impressive because they occurred while Ronald Reagan was sweeping Ohio by more than one million votes.
"The only American in history to have defeated the United States in a RICO case" is how Traficant has since styled himself. Not exactly. While triumphant in his criminal case, Traficant was dogged for years by IRS complaints that, since he never returned the money he received from the mob figures, it was income and he was therefore liable for taxes on it. In 1987, a U.S. Tax Court ruled that the congressman owed back taxes as well as interest and penalties on the bribe."
In 2001--"From the pubs and Mom-and-Pop stores of industrial Youngstown, Ohio, to the halls of Congress in Washington, there were political tremors last week following the indictment of Democratic Rep. James Traficant, Jr., on charges of racketeering and bribery."
snip
" The charges in the indictment are very damaging: that the congressman took money and work on his boat and family farm from different Ohio businessmen in exchange for political favors; that he accepted $2,500-a-month kickbacks from a staffer for hiring him and renting office space from him; that he ordered staffers on the federal payroll to perform manual labor on his farm and boat during normal work hours. If convicted, Traficant faces forfeiture of his property, a fine of up to $100,000 and a possible 40 years in prison."
“Traficant’s lifetime American Conservative Union rating was 27% in 1998.”
I am certainly preferring the GOP guy gets in, but if not the GOP then at least we can have something funny with Traficant while the other dems have their hand in our back pocket.
Beam me up!
I just do not see the attraction once it is revealed that a Sheriff/politician is a vile, evil, mafia connected criminal.
The man is a sociopath that depends on charming enough people with his force of will and audacity, that he continues on his self serving, exploitive path.
How can conservatives be a party to this, the guy is even liberal. Would a black Democrat crook be so loved by some conservatives?
OJ Simpson has this kind of sociopath’s charm and confidence, and a certain percentage of people ate it up too.
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