White nationalists, conspiracy theorists join Traficant’s cause
By BILL RODGERS / Tribune Chronicle
Conspiracy theorists, white nationalists and visitors to a Web site kept by a former ranking member of the Ku Klux Klan were calling on their readers to send money and shows of support to former congressman Jim Traficant during his prison sentence. Former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard
David Duke's personal Web site and blog contains calls to send contributions to Traficant's canteen fund.
Duke, president of European American Union and Rights Organization, also posted a Traficant letter that was being circulated through several Web sites. The letter, which is attributed to Traficant and says the federal government sought revenge against him, explains that people can send help to his wife at her home address, which it lists.
It is not known if anyone answered the calls to send Traficant money. Canteen contributions are not public record, according to the Ohio Department of Corrections, and Tish Traficant, who confirmed the letter was from her husband but was not aware of where it was appearing, said she would not comment on whether anyone sent her money.
She said her husband did not intend to be part of Duke's Web site. Duke has not returned a call seeking comment. In the letter, Traficant claims the U.S. Department of Justice targeted him for defeating an earlier criminal conspiracy case, one in which he represented himself in court.
Traficant wrote that ''the straw that broke the camel's back'' was his support for John Demjanjuk, who faced execution in Israel in the early 1990s on charges of being a Nazi death camp guard nicknamed ''Ivan the Terrible.''
Traficant pushed for the case to be reopened, which led to new evidence suggesting that Demjanjuk was not the guard. His death sentence was overturned.
''My investigation, in conjunction with John Demjanjuk's beautiful family, proved not only that John was innocent, but also that the (U.S.) Justice Department knew he was not guilty - even before they took him to court! Shame, shame!!'' the letter states.
The letter also alleges that he knows facts about ''Waco, Ruby Ridge, Pan Am Flight 103, Jimmy Hoffa and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy'' and that he may yet divulge this information.
After stating that he hopes someday the truth will come out, Traficant's letter states: ''Many of you have asked what you can do for me. I appreciate this. You can help my family.'' He then gives his wife's address. Tish Traficant said her husband wouldn't know where the letter was circulating since Traficant hasn't had access to a computer in prison. She said she rarely uses hers.
''We have no control over the Internet. I'd never think of looking there,'' she said.
Tish Traficant said she's received many letters of support from both inside and outside the Mahoning Valley. Two more came on the morning she was interviewed over the phone. ''We've had tremendous, tremendous support from everyone. We've been so lucky,'' she said. The letter has appeared on local Web sites, conspiracy theory sites, Duke's site and the white pride forum
StormFront.org, where posters there said they would send Traficant letters of support.
Demjanjuk, a retired autoworker from Cleveland, has been in German custody since May on accusations that he was an accessory to murder at the Sobibor death camp. The 1993 conviction, which was overturned, had accused Demjanjuk of operating a gas chamber at Treblinka death camp. Demjanjuk claims he was not a Nazi, but a captured Red Army soldier.
In the case of Duke's Web site, articles are picked up from other sources and posted to the blog. The letter and information on where to send contributions is credited to author Michael Collins Piper, who said Duke's site administration did not ask him for permission.
The letter appears with other news and opinion articles on Traficant and Demjanjuk. It includes the theory that Traficant's charges were trumped up by the federal government to get revenge on the congressman for embarrassing the Justice Department and an Israel lobby over the Demjanjuk case.
Piper said Duke was not relevant to Traficant at all and that Traficant doesn't represent the views of people like Duke. ''He has nothing to do with Jim Traficant or the biggest railroad job that I've ever seen politically,'' Piper said in a phone interview. ''There's stuff I've written about Traficant that's showing up in places I don't even know. It's like (six) degrees of separation with the Internet now.''
Piper is the author of the book ''Target: Traficant'' which alleges that the government was cobbling together a case against Traficant for his criticism of the Clinton administration, his opposition to sending foreign aid to Israel, his support of Demjanjuk and for demanding that U.S. troops secure the Mexican border.
His book states that the point of the trial was to discredit Traficant, and that the FBI, Justice Department, mass media and pro-Israel factions colluded to make people think Traficant was simply another crooked politician. To do this, Piper claims the FBI tracked people in Youngstown who were suspected of other crimes and offered them plea bargains in return for giving them dirt on Traficant. Among other allegations, Piper also states that the case appeared to be fixed because it was presided over by a judge whose husband did work for U.S. Aerospace Group. John J. Cafaro, who was a government witness against Traficant, owned U.S. Aerospace.
Piper also alleges that government prosecutors made an ex-resident on Traficant's farm believe the politician was out to kill her.
Coverage of the trial reported on both of these developments. Traficant remained defiant during the sentencing even as he was being criticized by the judge for espousing conspiracy theories and the opinion that judges were the tools of the federal government.
When asked if he cared that Duke's Web site lifted the Traficant letter, Piper said he did not care.
''It doesn't make a difference to me. The truth is the truth and if the devil will repeat back what I've said then I'm flattered," he said. The letter also alleges that he knows facts about ''Waco, Ruby Ridge, Pan Am Flight 103, Jimmy Hoffa and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy''
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