Former Congressman Jim Traficant Dies At 73

Former Congressman James A. Traficant Jr. (D-Ohio) died Saturday at St. Elizabeth Health Center, according to family spokesperson Heidi Hanni.

Hanni sent a text message that reads: “Traficant dead.”

The 73-year-old former congressman was listed in “very critical condition” after a tractor accident on Tuesday night at his family farm in Greenford.

The Vindicator reports:

The 1943 tractor he was driving rolled over backward onto him while he was still in the driver’s seat, trapping him underneath.

A number of longtime family friends, including Linda Kovachik, who used to work as a congressional aide for Traficant, have told The Vindicator that it is believed Traficant had a heart attack, causing the tractor accident. Family friends had also said the former congressman had shown no brain activity since the accident.

Hanni had disputed those claims.

Outspoken, outrageous and colorful, Traficant served more than 17 years in the U.S. House as a Democrat until July 2002 when he became only the second member of Congress to be expelled since the Civil War.

That vote came shortly after a federal jury convicted him of 10 felony counts including racketeering, bribery, tax evasion and obstruction of justice.

The former Democratic Congressman had experienced a heart arrhythmia issue while in prison, but was otherwise healthy before his accident.

“I do my hair with a weed whacker,” Traficant once said. While behind bars in 2002, Traficant ran for Congress and  garnered 30,000 votes.

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