Rangel May Not Keep His House Chairmanship

After an ethics panel found he broke the rules, reports are swirling that scandal-plagued Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem) will step down as the powerful chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. While some media outlets said Rangel would step down tonight, Rangel said he was still chairman, but as for tomorrow "I can’t make all those promises at my age." NBC News' Chuck Todd Tweeted, "Sources tell me after agreeing to step aside, Rangel now having 2nd thots; hence the defiant denial... but: Rangel was made aware that he does not have the votes to survive a floor vote tmro on whether he should keep the gavel." There have been questions about Rangel for years, from rent-stabilized apartments to apparent tax amnesia.

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By Jen Chung in News on March 2, 2010 10:07 PM

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NannyState

"Please donate"

jimmycracks

But what of the mispellings

sadpanda

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I think charlie rangel is pretty hot.

JenChungsBaby

I will vote for Rangel as long as he's Chair of Ways and Means, but if he loses that he loses my vote too.

Powerhugs

Only in Washington apparently is a liberal Democrat able to stay in office and chair a powerful committee...In the real world this charlatan would be long gone....what a disgrace that Rangel still represents the good people of Harlem...

justthinkin

What are you talking about? As a Representative, he happens to work in Washington and was sent there by the "good people" of Harlem '"in the real world". If you're point is that "charlatans" are the accepted norm down in D.C., then anyone and everyone who has given him a nod over the years should be thrown out too, right? If you want to apply those rules, then you let's just close down the entire show.

jt10000

I live in Harlem and will vote for the guy again. My problem with politicians is the policies they support or don't support. Dick Cheney profits from his political connections in a big way, and that's bad insofar as it makes him make bad policy choices. But in and of itself, that stuff is minor in comparison to the massive policy errors.

Rangel has been on the correct side of most major issues of the day - we need people with his politics in congress.

Powerhugs

I am not interested in anyone else other than Rangel..I don't doubt that there are others in Washington where his sort of behavior is the norm but why do we the voters have to accept a congressman who is plagued with scandal. We deserve better and Rangel has been in office far too long and I as a voter CHOOSE NOT TO ACCEPT IT ANY LONGER!!!! ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE...

longacre

It's one thing for tax cheats to sit in Congress, there are probably hundreds. It's another for the guy in charge of the tax code to do it and get caught.

justthinkin

Charlie finally got wrangled. He may have gotten a nice tan down in the Caribbean, but he's going to get fried up here

verbal

It is disgusting that there's even a question of whether he should retain his position; the real question is whether he should resign pending prosecution.