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Charles Rangel, the longtime Congressman and former Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, has reportedly cut a deal to avoid a trial before Congress on numerous ethical violations. The deal could be revealed at a House Ethics Committee meeting within the next hour.
It’s the culmination of two years of scandal for the 20-term Democratic lawmaker. At issue is whether the former head of the House Ways and Means committee will admit to any serious ethical wrongdoing. Rangel is being charged with misusing his office for fundraising, failure to disclose income, belated payment of taxes and possible help with a tax shelter for a company whose chief executive was a major donor.
According to the report, Rangel will admit “ethical wrongdoing” as part of the deal. There’s no word on whether he will step down from Congress or not seek re-election. Multiple challengers are running against Rangel in the Democratic primary, which isn’t until September 14.
Two House Democrats have called for Rangel to resign, and in general the Democratic caucus has tried to distance themselves from him.
More when it’s revealed.
UPDATE: The House Ethics Committee has begun reading the charges in the case, so this doesn’t look like trial avoidance to me… yet.
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He’s amassed quite a fortune for a public servant, just sayin’
ethics committee webcast
nevermind, over now
He needs to resign.
Now.
Today.
Or did he? The meeting has adjourned, trial phase technically underway, but negotiations still ongoing.
Via AP:
The alleged violations include using congressional letterhead to solicit donations for a center for public service to bear his name on the New York campus of the City College of New York.
OMG! IT’S THE WORST ABUSE OF POWER IN HISTORY!! [Edited by Moderator. We do not go down that path, even as a jest]
I all for shedding light on Rangel and getting him out if it’s proven that he did things wrong. But sadly the old saw of IOKIYAR still appplies bc where is similar treatment for John Ensign? Yes, I know: Rangel’s in the House, and Ensign’s in the Senate. But still. I hear Republicans tsk tsking over Rangel lately, but when I bring up Ensign: crickets…
The only thing slimier than Chuck is his bottle of Vitalis.
I wonder if he’s considering changing the title of his book. Seems he should have knocked on wood when he published it.
well, to offer some hope:
Coburn aiding in Justice investigation of Ensign
Not for nothing, it’s kind of ironic how Charlie seems to be coming to his end. The prior occupant of his seat was Adam Clayton Powell, who got into analogous trouble in the late 60s – apartments, resorts in the Bahamas, yadda, yadda. His real problems came when he, a black man, had accumulated enough seniority to have a claim to a position in the leadership and the leadership was not happy with the idea of a black man having power. Especially one from Harlem.
Ultimately, he was refused his seat under the Constitutional provision that allows each house to be the judge of the qualifications of its members. Effectively, the Democratic party leadership kicked him out.
More ironic, the last I checked one of the leading candidates to challenge Rangel in the primary is Powell’s son.
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Thu, July 29, 2010 — 3:08 PM ET
—–
Rangel to Stand Trial Before House Panel in Ethics Case
Representative Charles B. Rangel will stand public trial on
13 counts of violating House rules, after the veteran
congressman failed to reach a settlement to avoid the rare
and potentially embarrassing proceeding.
Members of the House ethics committee detailed on Thursday
the numerous charges against Mr. Rangel, a Democrat from
Harlem, including multiple breaches of the House ban on
accepting gifts of more than $50 and of the requirement that
members act at all times in a way that reflects creditably on
the House.
-snip–
Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na
—–
Thanks for that, but I won’t hold my breath. My bet is that Ensign gets off with a wrist tap (and some fancy footwork explaining why the illegal thing that he did wasn’t really, really, really a real crime ‘n all) and is re-elected.
Does appear as if Rangel’s in deep doo-doo, but unlike my Republican friends (who have nothing to say about Ensign), I’m of the notion that if Rangel did the crime, then he should do the “time.”
Very astute observation.
Also, Rangel has for sometime been an advocate of reinstatement of the draft, and if I am not mistaken, his bill was to go to committee in the very near future.
Sure would be a lot of war profiteers who would be unhappy with even the possibility of a draft scenario.This trial would certainly be a shiny object to deflect attention and besmirch its author,wouldn’t it?
Jus’ sayin’.
Senator Kerry was docking his yacht outside of MA to avoid the fees, and behold and lo, just the other day he agreed to pay MA its due, including all owed back monies.
Is there a French term for ‘Staircase Ethics’?
And he probably bought it on Amazon to avoid the sales tax.
This would be good. all we need now is the distraction, and the right would play it for all it’s worth and more.
we need to focus on what Obama is trying to pull behind our backs.
Meanwhile, there’s nothing at all about Ensign’s scandal.
You almost expect dems to line their pockets but a Senator paying $$ to fuck his chief of staff’s wife????? Sssssshhhhhh
Mu buddy’s comment posted over at Salon.com. Reposted here with permission:
The stupid, gutless, corrupt Dems are going to let this disgrace of a human being stay in office with a backroom deal. How freaking dumb is that?
As a life-long (and lately deeply disgusted Dem) I can only imagine the ads GOPer candidates are going to run againt other Dem House candidates using Rangel as the poster boy for Dem corruption and hypocrisy. I can just see the quotes from Pelosi about transparency and clean government running over a screen crawl of Rangel’s admitted crimes. And tax evasion? If anything besides pedophilia rankles the average person, it’s a Congressional big wig getting away with tax evasion.