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Plea for Traficant commutation was just a joke Sunday, July 08, 2007 Associated Press
Youngstown- A state lawmaker said Saturday that he was being facetious when he called on President Bush to commute the prison sentence of a former Ohio congressman convicted of bribery and racketeering.
State Rep. Robert Hagan of Youngstown said he was trying to vent outrage over Bush's decision to spare former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby from a 2½-year prison sentence by writing the president Friday and asking him to show mercy on James Traficant.
Traficant, a Democrat notorious for his 1970s-style suits and unkempt hair that turned out to be a toupee, was sentenced to eight years in prison and ousted from Congress in 2002.
Hagan, a Democrat, said his letter was misinterpreted by some hard-core Traficant supporters, including local politicians who think Traficant has paid his debt to society.
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