Justice May Probe Allegation That Witness Was Pressured to Lie in Traficant Trial

Associated Press ^ | July 23, 2002

[livesbygrace]

WASHINGTON

[Seeking the truth]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Detore the guy who offered bribes to Traficant?

I'm pretty sure he is.

If this is the case, i.e., he committed felonies.

This, of course, always adds to one's credibility!

[Lance Romance]

I saw the Trafican hearings on CSPAN this weekend and it was interesting. Either Traficant is an absolute nut or there was something fishy about that trial.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[old school]

I think you're right on both counts; but do you trust your government?

[MamaLucci]

Have you seen this?

an excerpt from post#11:

As he prepared to answer questions today, Torricelli faced new allegations last week of accepting unreported gifts. Richard Detore, a businessman accused of attempting to bribe convicted felon Ohio Rep. James Traficant, testified on Traficant's behalf and mixed Torricelli into the Traficant mess.

Detore, a former executive of the U.S. Aerospace Group, which was seeking federal aviation contracts, testified that the company had purchased gifts for Torricelli. In an interview afterward, Detore told Roll Call that he had seen company receipts for a $100,000 necklace and $30,000 earrings from Nieman Marcus in 1999 that he said went to a Torricelli girlfriend, but he could not provide the receipt.

[Catspaw]

Detore didn't testify at the Traficant trial. On the advice of counsel, all he would've done is take the 5th. He testified at the House hearing voluntarily, and wasn't subject to cross examination by the prosecutor.

The problem for Detore is that once he started to testify at these hearings, and with the Justice Department probing whether there was prosecutorial misconduct, and also testifying his lawyer (or lawyers) were present, he's not only opened himself up to questioning about the pending case, but also that he may have, in part, waived attorney-client privilege.

All in all, it may have been better for himself that he'd have kept his mouth shut until his trial.

[big bad easter bunny]

I watched the testimony and by your comments you did not! There is not a doubt in my mind the guy was sincere. In the trial Trafficant was allowed no witnesses and in the hearing they only allowed two on his behalf. From what they said and how they said it you would have to come to the same conclusion as I have. Trafficant was set-up! By Reno, which if you have been paying attention to her 8 years as attorney general you know it is not farfetched.

[big bad easter bunny]

http://www.c-span.org/capitolspotlight/index.asp

May I sugest this link for any body who would like to watch the hearings on Trafficant last week then you can decide for yourself!

[Seeking the truth]

Stay focused on the question I posed.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Detore the guy who offered bribes to Traficant?

Since you watched whatever and seem to know the facts of the case and the investigation, please answer my inquiry.

I have not followed very closely the case or the ethics hearing so I don't know Detore.

However, I have followed Traficant for many years - before Reno too - and he has always been a sleazy, crooked, phony Demonrat politician from the get go!

[big bad easter bunny]

The allegation was he tried to bribe Traficant but since he never testified during his trial, it means nothing. When he spoke at the hearings he said nothing of the sort. This will eventually blow-up in their face if you ask me. You obviously don't like Traficant but that does not mean he is guilty. I really suggest you watch the hearings for yourself on C-span's website.

[MinuteGal]

bump

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

If you have a Traficant ping list, please add me. I heard Traficant talk with Hannity yesterday. Traficant has documentation that every witness who testified against him was told that it was either jail time, or testify against him. And some who wanted to testify on his behalf went to jail. Something stinks here. And a juror in his trial regrets his verdict after listening to the hearing. The judge should have recused herself to boot.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

And, we all know Traficant's battle against the IRS. Every major Traficant contributor was audited. But he still won. Something I did not know is that he had problems with the FBI as well. One FBI agent raped one of his constituents. Another agent tried to extort money from his district. This explains a lot. It's bad enough having the IRS on your tail. But the IRS and the FBI both?

[small voice in the wilderness]

on orders from former Attorney General Janet Reno, pressured him to lie to win Traficant's conviction.

O.K. now it's starting to make sense. Does anyone believe Traficant could blow congress or clinton wide open, if he chooses?

[aristeides]

I don't know how much Traficant knows, but he must know how and by whom he was pressured into voting against impeachment.

[NeoCaveman]

I saw the Trafican hearings on CSPAN this weekend and it was interesting. Either Traficant is an absolute nut or there was something fishy about that trial.

Why either/or?

The answer is both!

[BJungNan]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Detore the guy who offered bribes to Traficant? Accused of it maybe, but from what he said on Hannity and colmes it involved a boat that the ethics panel approved and a welder that was at Traficant's house but was the property of Cafaro - a friend loaning a welding unit.

Big crimes, huh? That's why we expel Congressman, right? Make no mistake about this, this is a sham, a clear case of using the forces of the government against the political opposition and/or irritant.