[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 42 (Tuesday, April 16, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H1293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRAFICANT EXPULSION RESOLUTION INTRODUCED

  (Mr. SENSENBRENNER asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I have introduced a resolution 
expelling the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant) from the House of 
Representatives. Last week, a Federal court jury in Cleveland found the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant) guilty on all 10 felony counts of a 
criminal indictment. Regretfully, this resolution is necessary because 
Mr. Traficant foolishly rejected the call of the minority leader to 
resign. Felons belong in jail and not in Congress. He has broken the 
public trust by breaking the law; and if he will not voluntarily leave 
this House, our duty is to remove him.
  Throughout my tenure in the House, I have consistently taken the 
position that Members who have been convicted of felonies should be 
expelled if they do not resign. In 1980, the House expelled Michael 
Meyers of Pennsylvania after he refused to resign following conviction 
of Abscam-related felonies. In 1995, Walter Tucker of California was 
convicted, initially refused to resign, and changed his mind after I 
introduced an expulsion resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that Mr. Traficant will follow the example of Mr. 
Tucker and save the House the need to debate once again whether felons 
should continue to serve in Congress.

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