James Traficant

“ The American people are afraid of their government. Why are we afraid of our government? Now, I want you to listen to this. Bob, they didn't bring one FBI or IRS investigator who investigated me to the stand so I could cross-examine them. They brought a 30-year veteran from Philadelphia, Mr. Callahan, he had seven trips, spent 40 days, a quarter of a million dollars, and all he did was add up the numbers the prosecutor gave him. And said he did no investigation. When he left, he was so confused he walked into the edge of the jury edge, right in the sore spot. ”

“ I will go to jail, but I will be damned if I will be pressured by a government that pressured these witnesses to death to get a conviction on a target, the number one target in the country.
Jim Kirsham, who was an FBI-paid special agent, she would not let him testify, said, "If you get us anything on Traficant, we will build a monument to you."
I got an affidavit from a guy just sent to me from Canada that I helped in a case where 11 Chinese were arrested, and he said, "I want to thank Jim Traficant publicly," and they said, " "Stay away from Traficant . Don't mention his name. ”

“ And they accepted Cafaro's testimony even though he admitted to lying in a previous RICO trial. That is one count.
Richard Detore is a patriot. I didn't subpoena Detore because his attorney said, "Don't subpoena Richard, subpoena me." To tell you the truth, I was a gentleman, and I did it. I felt sorry for him.
Before I was indicted, before Detore was indicted, I have a tape where he says everything on that tape that he told the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. He said, "Jim, I think I am living in Red China. If I didn't have two kids, I would blow my brains out." ”

“ I expect my colleagues to expel me. It is going to hurt me when some of you do. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, 20 years and not one tape. Mr. Prosecutor from Missouri, am I that good? Come on.
$1.3 billion in that budget that I brought back, much of it from the help of the Republicans, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha) , the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) , thanks. Twenty-two percent unemployment, been under 7, and we are still hurting. ”

“ The gentleman may proceed. I apologize. As a fashion leader, it is tough for me at times to comport with some rules.
It was brought up and said, JIM, why don't you go to Speaker Hastert? HASTERT owes you. I didn't go to the Speaker. I didn't vote for the Speaker to get something from the Speaker. Now, you go ahead and expel me, but you ran this place for 50 years, Democrats, and you made the IRS and the FBI and the Justice Department so strong, our people are afraid to death of them. ”

“ She submitted an affidavit and testified.
God almighty here.
Now, they said the prosecutor said, "Traficant is touchy-feely. TRAFICANT is too intelligent to be taped." Why did they have Sinclair tape an attorney, Madovich? Why didn't they fake body injury? I have a device, Mr. Hefley, that I could tape you right now, your conversation in the midst of all of this, and you wouldn't know you are being taped. Now not one wiretap, with the number one target in the United States of the Department of Justice prosecutors. ”

“ That is why go ahead and expel me, and I believe this judge is so afraid of what is resonating throughout America, who believes that they should not have to fear their government and that Congress is the last hope to take it back, and I am saying to the Speaker, take it back.
No American should fear their government and this guy does not. I am ready to go. Expel me. It will make it easier for them to really jack me good.
But do my colleagues know what they will have done? ”

“ My people do not want me out. There is something that was not allowed to be brought, and I give the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hefley) and the committee great respect; but ladies and gentlemen, you passed a 1967 Jury Service and Selection Plan in the Northern District of Ohio before Traficant was indicted, passed a jury selection plan that was not ratified until after my indictment. They excluded people from my area that knew me and these witnesses from the jury pool. ”

“ I urge you to put our troops on our border. I think anybody who jumps the fence shouldn't be made a citizen, they should be thrown out. And you are going to be dealing with homeland security, and I am saddened in my heart I can't vote on it. ”

“ Mr. Detore, by the way, spent $600,000 and is now without an attorney. His last attorney he paid $239,000 who went to the judge without him knowing and asked to be withdrawn from the case, because Richard Detore would not give him $100,000. He had already given him $239,000, and all he did was submit 3 motions for him. And one thing rang true: Every one of the witnesses that testified; significant, they had some witnesses scared to death. The key witnesses all would have gone to jail, lost their license, wives should have been indicted, and you know what? ”

“ Democrats did not want Clinton and the party hurt. You let it slide. And what you let slide was the freedom of the United States of America. And I called her a traitor.
And Janet Reno, if I do not go to jail, I will be in Orlando August 15 and you are not going to be elected to any damn thing. Nobody should fear our Government.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hansen) : The Chair would caution the gentleman to please avoid the use of profanity or indecent language, and the gentleman should address the Chair and not other Members by their first names. ”

“ To my colleague from Ohio, after the public hearings, 80 to 90 percent of the viewing public supports my position. Number three, all the witnesses that testified against me at trial were either felons or would-be felons, with no physical evidence. The gentlewoman is a very astute legal criminal mind. ”

“ Detore. Enclosed is my truthful affidavit. You can see it any way you wish."
Here is what they wanted Mr. Detore to say, he was outside the door and heard me and Cafaro make a bribery deal. What Mr. Berman didn't mention is I paid $10,000 for cars that didn't run, and Mr. Cafaro sold these cars made in Youngstown, the whole company, for $1. They are considered worthless. He owed me money, never gave me the titles. Flying Members of Congress around, getting Senators' girlfriends' gifts.
But you get out of jail free by getting the man right here. ”

“ I believe Monica and Henry Cisneros were not that important, but I think that Red Army Chinese general giving money to the Democrat National Committee was an affront to our intelligence, and now I am going to tell it like it is. The Republicans want a permanent trade status with China. ”