House Ethics Committee Recommends Censure for Rangel
OK. Pelosi said she was going to drain the swamp. Rid congress of corruption. That is, unless a democrat clogs up the drain.
Read the paragraph highlighted in red. Is the IRS going to "censure" him too?
Read the paragraph highlighted in red. Is the IRS going to "censure" him too?
WASHINGTON -- The House ethics committee's chief counsel has recommended that Rep. Charles Rangel be censured in connection with a finding that he engaged in improper financial and fundraising conduct.
Chief counsel Blake Chisman called for this punishment despite the New York Democrat's plea to his colleagues for "a drop of fairness and mercy."
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| This coming from a guy with a closet full of $3,000 suits |
The censuring of a lawmaker does not carry any particular limitation on powers or privileges afforded to a member of Congress. There are no specific rules governing what happens to a member who has been censured.
What's the point then?
This has been going on for two years, millions spent on investigating the allegations, appearances before ethics committees, and at the end of the day the result is..."Bad Charlie...see ya monday morning?" If this is how government is run why bother loading Maxine into the breech? Absolve her of her sins now and save the taxpayers millions.
Furthermore I don't know what Rangel is whining about. Forget about censure. He should be in jail. If he doesn't retire or die he'll be a lock the next election. Kind of sad when you think about it. That is... how stupid the people must be in his district.
This has been going on for two years, millions spent on investigating the allegations, appearances before ethics committees, and at the end of the day the result is..."Bad Charlie...see ya monday morning?" If this is how government is run why bother loading Maxine into the breech? Absolve her of her sins now and save the taxpayers millions.
Furthermore I don't know what Rangel is whining about. Forget about censure. He should be in jail. If he doesn't retire or die he'll be a lock the next election. Kind of sad when you think about it. That is... how stupid the people must be in his district.
In the past, however, the party conferences and caucuses have decided to discipline their own based on the decision to censure a member.
Rangel spoke calmly without notes as he faced the committee. He repeatedly denied he was corrupt or crooked, sparking a clash with Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.
McCaul questioned whether Rangel's conduct was, in fact, corrupt.
He noted that Rangel targeted donors for a college center named after him, people who had legislative issues that Rangel could influence in the Ways and Means Committee.
Rangel, McCaul added, didn't pay taxes on his Dominican Republic villa for 17 years.
"Failure to pay taxes for 17 years. What is that?" McCaul asked. He noted that former Rep. James Traficant, who was expelled after a felony conviction, didn't pay taxes for just two years.
Rangel argued, "City College (of New York) came to me to use my name. I was not trying to criminally hide anything from the IRS and Congress."
He said he didn't know the landlord of his New York apartment building placed him on a special handling list, when Rangel set up a campaign office in a subsidized unit designated for residential use.
Before Chisam commenced his remarks, Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Ala., told committee colleagues that Rangel need only "look in the mirror to know who to blame" for his predicament.
The scene 3 months from now.
The scene 3 months from now.
Today it was announced Wesley Snipes was sentenced to prison for 3 years for not paying taxes. Rangel hasn't paid taxes on his villa in the Dominican Republic for the past 17 years and gets a censure. I fail to see the fairness in this.
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