Rangel Sorry For Obama-Related Cop Shooting Remark

Rep. Charles Rangel apologized for his eyebrow-raising remarks on Saturday that suggested President Obama wouldn't be safe in Harlem. The Congressman said today, "It was entirely inappropriate to bring the President and his wife into this discussion during their visit to New York, and I hope my off-the-cuff comment did not cause embarrassment to anyone."

This past weekend, Rangel was asked what he would advise Obama to do in NYC, because the First Couple was visiting the city on Saturday night. Rangel, referring to the fatal shooting of off-duty police officer Omar Edwards by another officer, offered, "Make certain [Obama] doesn’t run around in East Harlem unidentified." Mayor Bloomberg wasn't thrilled with the remark, saying yesterday, "I have a lot of respect for Charlie Rangel, but in this case, he’s just plain wrong...This was a tragedy."

Rangel had prefaced his statement with, " I am calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to review the problems in the New York City Police Department when black officers are killed by whites, which too often is the case." The Daily News reports that "he also called for additional training for cops" and was "pleased that Commissioner Kelly recognizes a racial factor is involved."