Facing ethics investigations on multiple fronts, Rep. Charlie Rangel announced Wednesday that he’s stepping down from his position as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Although Rangel characterized the move as temporary, he might be looking at a longer—i.e., permanent—hiatus.—KA
The Christian Science Monitor:
For more than a year, the popular chairman – a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi – has dodged calls from Republicans and ethics watchdog groups for his resignation.
But with last week’s finding by the House ethics panel that Representative Rangel violated House gift rules by accepting corporate funding for trips to the Caribbean, Democrats broke ranks.
“Rep. Rangel has had a long and distinguished career and I respect his leadership, but I believe Congress needs to do more to restore the public trust,” said Rep. Artur Davis (D) of Alabama, in a statement. A colleague on the House Ways and Means Committee, Representative Davis was the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to back calls for Rangel’s resignation.
Rangel faces ongoing ethics probes on issues ranging from misuse of rent-controlled apartments in New York and failure to disclose income from a villa in the Dominican Republic to reports that he exchanged official favors – a tax loophole for oil driller Nabors Industries Ltd. – in exchange for a $1 million gift to the Charles Rangel Center at City College of New York.
“He’s not getting that chairmanship back, because trips to the Caribbean are the least of his problems,” says Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW), an ethics watchdog in Washington.
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By Katie, March 5, 2010 at 7:30 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
It’s about time! Not in his district, but in the same state, and I found this embarrassing when I found out a few months ago that he was still in office despite investigations. :s
Report thisBy Connor, March 4, 2010 at 9:21 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
I’m less worried about Rangel’s fate than I am about how the House Ways and
Means Committee is being run. Have you guys seen the media reaction to Rangel’s
leave of absence? This short video has CNN, Politico, MSNBC and others:
http://bit.ly/9NPfYg
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, March 3, 2010 at 3:15 pm Link to this comment
Rangel is the peoples representative, as long as his constituancy keeps voting him in I can’t begrudge him a few perks like free lunch and travel for a vacation, at least we the taxpayers don’t pay for it.
His exchanging favors for cash does bother me, being an elected official, however he’s not my elected official and I am not his constituant.
Term limits.
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