The Draft committee is a political committee initially created by four friends and I to protest both the unjust imprisonment of Congressman Traficant and the failure of any of the nine announced Democratic candidates to represent the views of millions of 'Nationalists' Democrats like ourselves.

First, we believe that Congressman Traficant is indeed a political prisoner.  We launched the traficant2004.com website on the first anniversary of the Congressman's expulsion to help highlight the recent events in his case. Specifically, the only person the Justice Department actually took to trial, Richard Detoure, for bribing the Congressman was found not guilty by a jury.  Moreover, one of the jurors in Mr. Traficant's trial, Leo Glaser, now states that he would have voted to acquit the Congressman had Mr. Detoure's testimony been entered into the
Congressman's trial.

Politically, we believe he was targetted by the Justice Department for his repeated calls for investigation of Chinese goverment influence in the 1996 Presidential election.  Furthermore, Congressman Traficant also is the only person to have ever beaten the IRS and Justice Department in a RICO -representing himself- in a trial in 1983.

Congressman Traficant would be the only canidate who is opposed to raising Federal income taxes.  If fact he wishes to abolish the income tax and have a National Sales Tax instead.  He would be the only candidate who opposes 'free trade' and the only Democrat who is 'pro-life' on abortion.  We believe this set of beliefs places him in a unique position to appeal to a certain segment of the Democratic party which currently has no candidate.  As a group we describe ourselves as "Democratic Nationalists" as opposed to the pacifist left of the "Democratic Socialists" wing of the party as well as the "Free Trade" DLC Democrats.

We have received numerous words of encouragement by longtime supporters of the Congressman as well as supporters in other parts of the country.  We intend to file slates of Democrats in upcoming Congressional and Senatorial primaries in support of the Congressman.  By having these local candidates they can build their own organization which will in turn support the national campaign for Congressman Traficant.