Is an embarrassment.

Sorry, Charlie
Rep. Rangel must step aside as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Thursday, September 3, 2009

Quote :

"FOR POLITICIANS with major bad news to release or to make public, there's no time like the dead of August to do it. The thinking goes that the public won't remember a thing come September. We hope Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) will have no such luck. His belated revelation of previously unreported income, property and bank accounts demands that he step aside as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Mr. Rangel's amended financial disclosure form, which exposes omissions from his 2002 through 2006 records, is a treasure trove of outrage. He neglected to report a checking account with the Congressional Federal Credit Union and one with Merrill Lynch, each valued between $250,000 and $500,000; the tens of thousands of dollars he's earning from dividends from a number of mutual funds and stocks; and the money made from the sale of a Harlem townhouse. As a result, Mr. Rangel's reported net worth doubled, from between $516,015 and $1,316,000 to between $1,028,024 and $2,495,000. We called on Mr. Rangel to resign his coveted post last November while the House ethics committee probed his contact with a potential donor to a pet project who also had business before the committee. Mind you, that committee already was looking into his using official stationery to raise funds for that pet project, paying below-market rents on four Harlem apartments, failing to report income from a Florida condominium sale and failing to pay taxes on a home in the Dominican Republic. There's another subcommittee investigation into lobbyist-paid trips by Mr. Rangel and four other members of Congress. Much is expected of elected officials. Much more is expected and demanded of those entrusted with chairmanships and the power that comes with them, especially when it involves the nation's purse strings. From all that we've seen thus far, Mr. Rangel has violated that trust continually and seemingly without care."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090203082.html

9/4/2009 3:51:30 PM

'Paterson-for-Rangel' scenario blasted as 'distraction'
Wednesday October 7, 2009

Quote :

"One interesting notion drawing chatter on the political circuit: That Rangel would retire midterm, with party leaders paving the way for a poll-vexed [NY] Gov. Paterson to step in and succeed him in the Harlem congressional seat. Some see this as solving a pair of problems in one move."

http://www.newsday.com/blogs/politics/spin-cycle-1.812042/paterson-for-rangel-scenario-blasted-as-distraction-1.1507130

We'll see.

10/9/2009 3:30:45 AM

financial shenanigans and tax cheating by egalitarian big govt. dems should be viewed the way as sex games and faggotry are when done by bible thumping fundamentalist reps

in both cases, it's completely hypocritical to their central core values, and they should be run out on a rail if they don't resign.

i never really liked him much anyhow. he was too much of a big-welfare guy.




[Edited on October 9, 2009 at 4:54 AM. Reason : ]

10/9/2009 4:51:27 AM

And how is that Rangel hasn't been forced to at least step down from his position as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee? Seriously.

10/9/2009 5:42:46 AM

sounds at least as bad as what ted stevens did.

and i have to admit rangel usually sounds like a rambling nutcase when i see him in interviews.

10/9/2009 10:08:38 AM

as what ted stevens did? you mean basically nothing?

10/9/2009 12:28:32 PM

that's why i said "at least"

[Edited on October 9, 2009 at 4:12 PM. Reason : .]

10/9/2009 4:11:33 PM

.

7/22/2010 6:56:18 PM

Ethics Inquiry of Rangel Finds Evidence of Violations
July 22, 2010

Quote :

"WASHINGTON — After a nearly two-year investigation, a House investigative panel has found that Representative Charles B. Rangel probably violated a range of ethics rules, dealing a serious blow to Mr. Rangel, a Harlem Democrat, in the twilight of his political career. The investigative subcommitee did not disclose any details about the nature of the violations that it found evidence, but one House official who has been briefed on the findings said that they included some of the most serious allegations that had been examined."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/nyregion/23rangel.html

Told you so.

[Edited on July 22, 2010 at 6:58 PM. Reason : SO WHAT?!!1]

7/22/2010 6:58:15 PM

Well.. in this Bizarro Obama world where tax cheats are put in charge of collecting taxes and corrupt Countrywide-scandal ridden congressmen write finance reform bills... why not, with this new revelation, make Charlie Rangel the "Ethics Tzar"?

7/22/2010 10:43:24 PM

^ don't be stupid.

Rangel is ethics-challenged. Old news. Yawn.

7/22/2010 10:47:06 PM

^ It's only "old news" because the Democrats have been dragging their feet on the Rangel situation for about two years. As I posted nearly a year ago, Rangel is an embarrassment--and perhaps even a criminal--and he should have not only stepped down as chairman of Ways and Means but he should have left Congress. He faces expulsion and I hope that's just what happens (or resignation).

And when I posted this thread, it was ignored, as is the case now. But if a Republican had done anything even remotely approaching Rangel's misdeeds, many of you here would have swooped in this thread with howls of "ZOMG! REPUBLICAN CORRUPTION!!1"

Deaf-ear Democrats ignoring corruption in their own ranks. Old news. Yawn.

7/23/2010 9:25:48 AM

Second Dem calls for Rangel resignation
July 27, 2010

Quote :

"Freshman Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick (Idaho) called on Rep. Charles Rangel to resign, becoming the second lawmaker in his party to call for the embattled New York Democrat to leave Congress. In an interview with the Idaho Reporter, Minnick said, 'Now that the investigation is complete, and provided the facts are as alleged, I think it's clear that he should resign from Congress.' Ohio Democratic Rep. Betty Sutton also called for Rangel to resign in advance of a public ethics committee adjudicatory hearing Thursday."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0710/Second_Dem_calls_for_Rangel_resignation.html

Hear, hear!

7/27/2010 3:05:03 PM

^
The politician who is the chairman of the committee that sets our taxes is a tax cheat.

Why isn't Nancy "I'm gonna drain the swamp" Pelosi calling for his ouster?

7/28/2010 10:45:13 AM

I agree Rangel needs to go.

just because there's 10 corrupt Republicans for every 1 corrupt Democrat, doesnt give the Dems any right to drag their feet on Rangel.

7/28/2010 12:03:08 PM

^ Good for you concerning the former. You have finally come to terms with the obvious.

Concerning the latter, alas, it looks like you're wrong again, schmoe. As of May last year:

Democrats Lead, 12 to 4 . . . in Members of Congress Under Investigation

http://tinyurl.com/334dhgs

7/28/2010 2:00:20 PM

12 to 4? That means they'll have to go for 2!

7/28/2010 5:30:42 PM

Quote :

"Rangel has called the ethics committee action against him a 'public lynching' and insisted he would rather tell his side of the story than admit guilt."

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/07/29/open-thread-rangel-hearing-ready-to-roll/

If all else fails, scream "RACISM!" and pitifully tells folks --from the comfort of your taxpayer-funded Cadillac DeVille--that you're being "lynched."

The false charge of racism has become the last refuge of scoundrels these days. If Rangel had a shred of decency remaining, he would just resign.

7/29/2010 2:31:51 PM

Quote :

"The 42-member Congressional Black Caucus has warned Democrats against a rush to judgment, and any lawmaker with a significant African-American constituency must consider whether it's worth asking Rangel to quit. "

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/29/rangel-prepares-hearing-alleged-ethics-violations/



could hear you imagine the inverse?

7/29/2010 3:00:31 PM

^ Just wow. So much for post-racial politics.

Rangel to Stand Trial Before House Panel in Ethics Case
July 29, 2010

Quote :

"WASHINGTON — The House ethics committee laid out 13 charges of House rules violations against Representative Charles B. Rangel on Thursday, and began the process for a rare public trial on the charges. The move came after Mr. Rangel, a veteran congressman, failed to reach a settlement to avoid the rare and potentially embarrassing proceeding before the committee gathered at 1 p.m."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/nyregion/30rangel.html

[Edited on July 29, 2010 at 3:31 PM. Reason : What an embarrassment. ]

7/29/2010 3:03:27 PM

Black Caucus chair on Rangel: don't presume guilt
July 26, 2010

Quote :

"WASHINGTON -- The leader of the Congressional Black Caucus [California Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee] is warning lawmakers against rushing to judgment on whether one of its prominent members, Charles Rangel, is guilty of ethics violations."

Quote :

"Lee said that 'attempts by Republicans and Democrats to presume guilt ... violates the core American principle of the presumption of innocence.'"

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/07/26/general-us-rangel-ethics_7798779.html

Good to see the Congressional Black Caucus attempting to run interference for Rangel.

7/30/2010 3:19:13 PM

man, you're like a pig in shit.



anyhow, kudos on the Dems for bringing one of their own most senior figures to a public trial. a nice change after years of republicans sweeping their pedos and drug addicts under the rug.




[Edited on July 30, 2010 at 3:27 PM. Reason : ]

7/30/2010 3:26:18 PM

^ Not really, schmoe. But this Rangel thing has dragged out for about two years now and it needs to be resolved. You want to give "kudos" (I really dislike that word) to the Democrats for finally dealing with the Rangel issue?

By the way, the United States House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is bipartisan. So, once again, you show everyone that you don't know what the devil you're posting about.

Anyway, it was Pelosi who said she was going to "Drain the swamp!" But she has defended Rangel's misdeeds and those of other Democrats as much as anyone. It's not quite as much fun when it's your folks who are being raked over the coals, is it, ol' hoss?

[Edited on July 30, 2010 at 4:07 PM. Reason : Got your Republican shot in, too, didn't you? GG.]

7/30/2010 4:04:53 PM

Rangel deserves to be defended and deserves his day in court.

If guilty, he should be tossed out on his ass.

7/30/2010 4:19:45 PM

^ Never said he didn't deserve those things, but nearly two years is too long to deal with this situation. I would've preferred that Rangel resign from Congress--just as he did his Ways and Means chair position.

In any event, looks like Rangel may skate after all:

Ethics panel member recommends reprimand for Rep. Charles Rangel
Jul 30, 2010

Quote :

"The Democratic chairman of the four-member panel that spent nearly two years investigating the conduct of Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said today that his committee recommended a reprimand as punishment. A reprimand, which requires a vote by the full House, is among the more lenient sentences the ethics committee could impose if Rangel's case goes to a full trial. 'The recommendation we had was a reprimand,' Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, the panel's chairman, told the Associated Press. Green's four-member committee presented 13 ethics charges against Rangel at an unusual public hearing Thursday. Now, an eight-member adjudicatory committee will consider the charges in a trial expected to begin in September. The committee may not decide on an actual punishment, if any, for several weeks."

http://tinyurl.com/2apsydr

GG!

[Edited on July 30, 2010 at 4:43 PM. Reason : And I can't see how the Rangel scandal will help Democrats in November.]

7/30/2010 4:30:12 PM

yeah, goddamn i hate the word kudos too. sorry. i dont know wtf came over me

as for pelosi, i cant stand her. when she was minority leader? meh... but damn, shes just terrible as Speaker. House dems should have voted her out of the Speakership already, but they've got no nuts.

8/3/2010 11:59:37 AM

so will this ethics panel report what exactly they found him "guilty" of to the general public? Like which allegations are legit.

8/3/2010 12:06:18 PM

^^ Fair enough. I agree. And I'm not saying the Republicans are the epitome of ethical government--it just seems that way here.

^ Well, just because Rangel may not be found "guilty" of a specific charge doesn't mean that it wasn't "legit." The wheeling and dealing concerning Rangel's charges has undoubtedly reached epic proportions.

But, yes, a report will be issued after Rangel's trial. But will we know everything? Who knows--it's rather secretive process, which obviously flies in the face of "transparency."

8/3/2010 12:43:56 PM

Quote :

"Washington (CNN) - The ethical complaints against Rep. Charlie Rangel have caused enough anxiety among House Democrats that ten caucus members have called for his resignation. Although those ten members come from red states, blue states and swing states, the similarities among them are striking. While Rangel is popular on Capitol Hill, his history with these representatives is short - all rode into Congress on the 2006 and 2008 Democratic tidal waves. Six were elected in 2006, in the wake of Abramoff, DeLay and Foley Republican scandals with the Democratic House leader, future Speaker Nancy Pelosi, promising to "drain the swamp" of corruption. The four members of the 2008 class came to Congress on the coattails of President Obama, who bragged repeatedly during the campaign about his work to pass "the toughest ethics reform legislation since Watergate" with promises of "transparency and accountability." But beyond those campaign promises, or perhaps because of those promises, the looming Rangel trial in the fall weighs heavily on their electoral fortunes. According to the CNN 100 list of embattled House seats, eight of the ten members are in electoral trouble. Five were ranked as "Most Vulnerable." Those incumbents include: Rep. Mike Arcuri (New York), Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (Ohio), Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (Arizona), Rep. Walt Minnick (ID) and Rep. Zack Space (Ohio). Two others, Reps. Debbie Halvorson (Illinois) and Patrick Murphy (Pennsylvania), are on the less perilous "Races to Watch" bottom half of the list."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/04/their-trouble-with-charlie/

8/4/2010 7:10:52 PM

^ Yet, look how some on the left are preparing to spin the Rangel-Waters issue:

The Ghost of Willie Horton
Will the GOP play the race card on Rangel and Waters?
By David Weigel
Posted Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010

Quote :

"Since last week's double shot of rotten ethics news—the investigations into Rangel and Waters, both of whom refuse so far to settle—Democrats have contemplated two potential nightmares. The first is that Republicans will use the troubles of Rangel and Waters to try to depress the Democrats' African-American base, making them less likely to come to the rescue of endangered incumbents. The second is that Republicans will use the embattled committee chairs the way that they once used Willie Horton, as Halloween masks in TV ads."

http://www.slate.com/id/2262669

Just wow.

8/4/2010 7:22:20 PM

so i guess Rangel wins the dem primary

9/15/2010 12:14:29 AM