Michael Myers (politician)
Encyclopedia
Michael Joseph "Ozzie" Myers (born May 4, 1943) is a politician
from the American
state of Pennsylvania
.
He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
. Myers, a Democrat, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976
. Myers had previously been a longshoreman
. He was regarded as a "maverick" from the very beginning of his tenure in office. For example, in 1979 he got into a fistfight with a waiter in Washington, D.C.
, whom he felt wasn't showing proper respect for a member of Congress
.
Myers is known most for being involved in the Abscam
scandal in 1980. Myers was videotaped accepting a bribe of $
50,000 from undercover FBI
agents on August 22, 1979. Myers stated on that tape "money talks and bullshit walks." Myers was expelled
from the House of Representatives on October 2, 1980, by a vote of 376 to 30, becoming the first member of the House to be expelled since 1861; the next to suffer this fate was Democrat Jim Traficant in 2002. Myers was defeated by Thomas M. Foglietta
in the 1980 election. Myers was sentenced to three years in prison in 1981.
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
from the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
. Myers, a Democrat, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976
United States House election, 1976
The U.S. House election, 1976 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1976 which coincided with Jimmy Carter's election as President. Carter's narrow victory over Gerald Ford had limited coattails, and his Democratic Party gained a net of only one seat from the Republican...
. Myers had previously been a longshoreman
Stevedore
Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
. He was regarded as a "maverick" from the very beginning of his tenure in office. For example, in 1979 he got into a fistfight with a waiter in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, whom he felt wasn't showing proper respect for a member of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
Myers is known most for being involved in the Abscam
Abscam
Abscam was a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation run from the FBI's Hauppauge, Long Island, office in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
scandal in 1980. Myers was videotaped accepting a bribe of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50,000 from undercover FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agents on August 22, 1979. Myers stated on that tape "money talks and bullshit walks." Myers was expelled
Expulsion from the United States Congress
Expulsion is the most serious form of disciplinary action that can be taken against a Member of Congress. Article I, Section 5 of the United States Constitution provides that "Each House [of Congress] may determine the Rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with...
from the House of Representatives on October 2, 1980, by a vote of 376 to 30, becoming the first member of the House to be expelled since 1861; the next to suffer this fate was Democrat Jim Traficant in 2002. Myers was defeated by Thomas M. Foglietta
Thomas M. Foglietta
Thomas Michael "Tom" Foglietta was United States Ambassador to Italy and anAmerican politician from the state of Pennsylvania, most notable for his time in the House of Representatives from 1981 to 1997....
in the 1980 election. Myers was sentenced to three years in prison in 1981.