# (Jim) TRAFICANT: The Congressman of Crimetown (documentary) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627 "2019-12-10T01:00:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/1 "2019-12-10T01:00:53Z")
Does anyone know about Jim Traficant? I might disagree on multiple policies of his, but he was quite the populist. Definitely a man of the people, spoke his mind, and was pretty darn funny. I think he’s the ONLY person in US history to beat the US Dept. of Justice (RICO)… And he defended himself, and he wasn’t a lawyer. History has shown him to be correct on many things, and you can see this all from the 1980s on. Ed O’Neill (Married With Children) produced a documentary. It’s on Vimeo and YouTube and it is so fascinating. Has anyone seen the documentary? Or at least know about him? If so, what do you think? And how does one kill himself with a tractor? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/2 "2019-12-10T02:22:52Z")
He was my Congressman when I was a kid living in Ohio. I met him one time. Didn’t know much about him (being a kid), but later I looked him up and he gained popularity as a sheriff who refused to kick people out of their foreclosed houses or something like that. When the steel mill my dad worked at went on strike, I called his office and they told me “He’s not getting involved” so I stopped liking him after that. Do you have a link to the video? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/3 "2019-12-10T02:31:56Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > I think he’s the ONLY person in US history to beat the US Dept. of Justice (RICO)… And he defended himself, and he wasn’t a lawyer. Not quite. He’s the only person to beat a RICO case **while** defending himself. Other defendants have beaten RICO cases, but they had lawyers. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/4 "2019-12-10T02:56:26Z")
I worked for a newspaper in the area at the time he was a Congressman. He was a scumbag. And it’s not too hard to kill yourself with a tractor. If you don’t know what you are doing or you get complacent, they can [flip over backwards or sideways and crush you](https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/tractors/rollover.html). I know a couple of people who were killed that way. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/5 "2019-12-10T03:35:05Z")
While he beat the RICO case, he was of course later evicted from congress, and convicted of racketeering after all. He was a funny man, but about as crooked as congressmen get. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/6 "2019-12-10T13:36:48Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > He was my Congressman when I was a kid living in Ohio. I met him one time. Didn’t know much about him (being a kid), but later I looked him up and he gained popularity as a sheriff who refused to kick people out of their foreclosed houses or something like that. > > When the steel mill my dad worked at went on strike, I called his office and they told me “He’s not getting involved” so I stopped liking him after that. > > Do you have a link to the video? Very cool, too bad about him not getting involved. I’m not here to defend him, but I guess his staff would always try to avoid him getting involved, just like the Demanyuk case, but he overheard it, while citizens were told he wasn’t there. Here is the link - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbVE3bJUEIU&t=5s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbVE3bJUEIU&t=5s) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/7 "2019-12-10T15:13:43Z")
It should be possible to be “a man of the people” without becoming ass-deep in corruption. That lesson has yet to be learned in [Mahoning County](https://www.vindy.com/opinion/editorials/2019/09/corruption-in-county-must-end/) (or in northeast Ohio in general). ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/8 "2019-12-11T13:03:59Z")
Or the FBI could have railroaded him. Probably spurned after losing the RICO case. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/9 "2019-12-11T13:41:30Z")
I remember Traficant’s shenanigans from when he was still in office. He was corrupt. He was an asshole. He was a precursor to Trump in being able to have a following while saying blatantly ridiculous things. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/10 "2019-12-11T19:01:50Z")
Trump definitely stole his playbook. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/11 "2019-12-11T21:25:40Z")
Not really seeing the Pit material in this. Seems a bit old news for Elections. Since the OP was inspired by a documentary, let’s try it out in Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/12 "2019-12-11T21:38:55Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > Or the FBI could have railroaded him. Probably spurned after losing the RICO case. Hold on a sec. Are you suggesting: 1. In the late 1970s, Traficant was not actually accepting bribes. 2. The FBI decided to set him up and put him on trial. 3. He was acquitted, so… 4. Twenty years later, the FBI set him up again. 5. That time, he was convicted. 6. All but one member of the House was hoodwinked into believing the second FBI set-up. As the subject of our discussion would say: BEAM. ME. UP!!! ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-traficant-the-congressman-of-crimetown-documentary/844627/13 "2019-12-12T14:39:23Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Hold on a sec. Are you suggesting: > > 1. In the late 1970s, Traficant was not actually accepting bribes. > 2. The FBI decided to set him up and put him on trial. > 3. He was acquitted, so… > 4. Twenty years later, the FBI set him up again. > 5. That time, he was convicted. > 6. All but one member of the House was hoodwinked into believing the second FBI set-up. > > As the subject of our discussion would say: BEAM. ME. UP!!! If I’m going to trust someone, it won’t be the FBI…