Congress Convicts Rangel
Rep. Charlie Rangel may as well have stuck around for the full hearing. An ethics subcommittee convicted the veteran lawmaker Tuesday of 11 counts of naughty, having to do with fundraising, cheap rent and taxes. Rangel’s colleagues could decide to give him the boot, but he’s likelier to get off with just a reprimand.
You can read about this story anywhere, but The Guardian’s take is particularly amusing. At the end of its story, the British newspaper appears confused that Americans could be bothered with one case of influence peddling when corruption in Congress is so … normal. — PZS
(Get a take from this side of the Atlantic over at The New York Times.)
Wait, before you go…The Guardian:
An ethics watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called on Rangel to resign. But some may be surprised by the conviction given that senators and House of Representatives members routinely accept large campaign contributions from lobby groups and vested interests.
America’s healthcare industry spent hundreds of millions of dollars to block the introduction of public medical insurance during Congress’s deliberation of healthcare reform last year. The single largest recipient of political healthcare donations was senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the committee drafting the legislation.
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