WASHINGTON In Congressional Record, Traficant blasts his trial

More submissions by the convicted congressman are forthcoming, his spokesman said.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. is honoring the request of the House ethics committee, which is considering his expulsion, to stay away from Capitol Hill, but that doesn't mean the felon's presence isn't being felt in Congress.
For three days this week, Traficant submitted written statements into the Congressional Record, giving his version of his federal corruption trial, which he calls "A Railroad of Justice."
The statements -- submitted Tuesday through Thursday, the three days this week the House was in session -- give Traficant's version of the first two counts in his indictment that he accepted money and free labor and materials from Anthony Bucci and A. David Sugar, two Mahoning Valley contractors.
Jury pool
Also, Traficant accuses the federal government of poisoning his jury pool by alleging that he was involved in a murder scheme and that he had a $150,000 barn built on his family farm in Greenford.
"The government had to back off the big barn hoax, but by that time, the damage had already been done to poison the jury pool," Traficant wrote.
The congressman intends to submit further remarks into the Congressional Record about his trial, in particular the eight other counts on which he was convicted, Charles Straub, Traficant's spokesman, said today.
The House ethics committee began an investigation April 11, the day a jury found Traficant guilty on 10 felony counts on charges including racketeering and bribery, that could lead to its recommendation to the full House to expel the Poland Democrat.
Warned not to vote
Shortly after that, the committee sent Traficant a letter warning him "in the strongest possible terms" not to vote on the House floor while his conviction is reviewed. Traficant has honored that request.
Last month, an ethics subcommittee provided Traficant with a preliminary report accusing him of violating House rules.
Traficant is not violating the spirit of that request by submitting into the Congressional Record his version of his corruption trial, Straub said.
"When the ethics committee made its recommendation, it was stated as legislative activity," he said. "The interpretation is that he is not to vote, and he has refrained from that. It wasn't spelled out any further by the ethics committee. I don't think the stance of the ethics committee is to deny him the opportunity to submit material for the record."
Traficant has submitted other written material into the Congressional Record, since his conviction in April, but it has all been tributes to local constituents, Straub said.
Rob Walker, chief counsel of the ethics committee, declined today to comment. Straub said no one from the committee has contacted Traficant's office about the Congressional Record material.
Members of Congress cannot be sued or held liable for anything they submit into the Congressional Record or what they say on the floor of Congress, regardless of its accuracy.
Other submissions
Before his conviction, Traficant often submitted material into the record, usually affidavits from friends and associates, and made statements on the House floor about his trial and what he perceived as a government conspiracy against him.
The submissions this week included affidavits from Sandra Ferrante, who worked for several years on Traficant's family farm; John Innella, who works on the farm, and Susan Bucci, who owned the farm across the street from Traficant and was married to Anthony Bucci's brother.
Traficant is running for re-election to the 17th Congressional District as an independent. Traficant said that if he is sent to prison, he still wants to run for Congress. His sentencing is set for June 27.
skolnick@vindy.com