R.I.P.

Former Congressman James Traficant Dead

At age 73.

Former Ohio congressman James Traficant has died at age 73, a family spokeswoman confirmed on Saturday. Traficant was in “very critical condition” after a tractor accident on Tuesday when the 1943 tractor he was driving rolled over backward on top of him. He had shown no brain activity since the accident, according to family friends. Traficant served 17 years in the House as a Democrat until he was expelled in 2002 after a federal jury convicted him of 10 felony counts including racketeering, bribery, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice. He was only the second member of Congress since the Civil War to be expelled.