Political Quotes

“it is with sadness and regret that I rise today to express my support for H. Res. 495 in the matter of James A. Traficant, Jr. Let me make this very clear. No Member of Congress ever wishes to sit in judgment of a colleague, least of all a colleague as colorful and as indomitable as the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant). Yet at the same time no Member ever wishes to see the rules of this institution broken or the standards of its Members brought low. Many Americans who have read or heard of the gentleman from Ohio's (Mr. Traficant) conviction in Federal court wonder why we in the House have bothered with our own investigation and hearings. They ask, ``Why go through all of that? A jury found him guilty on 10 felony counts.'' They find it hard to find to understand why expulsion from the House would not be automatic once a jury finds a Member guilty of felony offenses in a court of law. The answer, quite simply, is found in the Constitution.”