Buckeye state bulletins

Traficant Survives

After the presidential contest, the renomination effort of flamboyant Democratic Rep. Jim Traficant was the race to watch in Ohio last week. Eight-termer Traficant, best known for his polyester suits, protectionist trade views, and televised tirades in one-minute addresses on the House floor (speeches he usually concludes with the "Beam me up, Mr. Speaker!" line from Star Trek), had told reporters earlier this year he expected to be indicted on corruption charges.

Such controversy was no stranger to the Youngstown Democrat. In the 1980s, Traficant had survived an indictment on charges that, while a county sheriff, he had taken money from federal agents posing as mobsters. Nonlawyer Traficant defended himself in court and convinced the jury that he accepted the money because he was conducting his own investigaton of the alleged ganglords. While acquitted and subsequently elected to Congress, Traficant never returned the money and was charged with penalties and fines by the IRS for not reporting it as income. The matter was eventually resolved.

But the opposition against him was divided, and last week he squeaked through to renomination over three opponents, including State Sen. Robert Hagan, who attacked the incumbent for his antics and his increasingly conservative voting record. Hagan was helped by his sister-in-law Kate Mulgrew, who portrays "Capt. Janeway" on the current version of "Star Trek." In one campaign commercial, Mulgrew appeared in her "Star Trek" uniform and admonished voters to "beam up" Traficant.

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Mar 17, 2000
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