While the House of Representatives voted against a measure to strip Representative Charles Rangel of chairing the House Ways and Means Committee, House leaders are planning an investigation of Rangel's ethical issues--you know, the lack of reporting income on his returns, his rent-stabilized apartments, using House letterhead to solicit donations for a center being built in his name. This comes as his 1972 Mercedes Benz, long unused, was towed from a House parking garage!
Yesterday the Post reported that the Benz was covered by a tarp (its NY State registration expired in 2004) and had been there for years. The Post found "House rules forbid use of the garage for long-term storage more than 45 days," and suggests that the free space should have been reported as "imputed income." Rangel only said, "I told you I am not discussing that. I want to be kind and gentle -- please let me be." But he also wrote an open letter, "blaming Republicans and the media" for his troubles.
The NY Times reports that Rangel chose to "ride out the storm" and not cede his chairmanship because there are other House Republicans--under actual criminal investigations--who haven't resigned as chairs of their committees. The Washington Post has an amusing roundup of the corrupt/allegedly corrupt who voted for and against Rangel losing his chairmanship.




haha yeah blame the republicans and the media, also go blame lehman brothers and while you're at it, also the boston creme donut i ate for breakfast this morning for your own actions.
Time to put Rangel out to pasture.
This is what you get when incumbents stay in too long.
Congress needs term limits.
haha blaming Republicans and the media
then they framed a guilty man
Rangel must resign as chair. The longer he stays in the spotlight, the more he is hurting his party. It is going to be very close in November, OB doesn't need any of this small change BS being thrown at him on the election circuit.
There must be some street or park or something up in Harlem that can be named after this dignified politician. I mean really isn't there an extra Adam Clayton Powell named something that can be changed?
wahh, the media exposed my abuses, waaaaah.
House ethics? Isn't that an oxymoron?
I can't believe this "public servant" has a spare Mercedes.
He got it cheap in a drug deal gone wrong. Don't knock him.
Somebody please ask Obama if he thinks this crook should step down. 100:1 he says this corrupt arrogant jerk should stay.
You can take the ...... out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the ......