Posted on 07/11/2008 2:42:21 PM PDT by shrinkermd
Updated, 5 p.m. | Representative Charles B. Rangel held a 20-minute news conference on Friday afternoon after The New York Times reported that he had four rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem at a time when the city is experiencing an affordable housing crisis. At one point angry residents accosted the congressman, the dean of Harlem politics, in an unusual sidewalk confrontation, as Mr. Rangel faced questions from reporters.
Mr. Rangel, who is the powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said his living arrangements were fair and legal and that he was paying the maximum rent allowed on all four rent-stabilized units, in the Lenox Terrace complex at West 135th Street and Lenox Avenue. “I didn’t see anything unfair about it,” he said. “I didn’t even know it was a deal.”
He did say, however, that he was evaluating the use of one of the four apartments as a campaign office, saying, “I have to take another look” at that situation. If the use of the apartment as a campaign office is a problem, he said, he would “go to another place and get a different office. Period.”
(Excerpt) Read more at cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com ...
It's not like Al rented them yesterday.
Now THAT is a jackass.
Crook or moron? Take your choice...
He’s using residential apartments as “campaign offices”?
The list gets longer:
Obama
Sharpton
Jackson
Rangel
(Care to add more to it?)
Yes, he is using an apartment as a campaign office. It would be interesting to know how much his campaign pays for this office vis a vis his other apartments.
Well, I would love to do so, except that some of them have (R) written after their name.
Stole a page from the Dan Rostenkowski playbook.
He didn’t know it was a deal on his rent?
New York is well known to have rent control. It strains believability that he wouldn’t know if his office/apartment space was rent controlled.
I guess we should be happy he was paying the maximum rent allowed. Gee, so he paid his rent controlled rent, if he knew he was paying the maximum allowed.
Cripes, he knows he was getting a good deal, and we know it too, and we know he knows, and he knows we know.........
so, he just figures this story will blow over with no long term harm done.
Well, he’s got a “safe seat” so he’s not concerned about his re-election.
“I didn’t see anything unfair about it,” [Rangel] said. “I didn’t even know it was a deal.”
Rangel and his ilk know everything there is to know about how wrong the policies of their opponents are for the country and how right their own policies are for the country, but, when caught with their corruption pants down, suddenly they don't know anything at all. If a Congressman doesn't realize that he's getting an unbelievably good deal on his four New York City apartments, why should he be trusted to know, say, what the best tax policies of the nation as a whole ought to be?
But, of course, Rangel knew how good his deal was. He knew.
In other words: "I'm more important than you are, so I can have 4 apartments. The fact that you don't have any is really not my problem." What an arrogant a$$.
Go ahead Rangel, tell us some more lies ...You criminal.
Rent Control Rangel...
So what?!?! D or R, a crook is a crook and should not be holding office. So are you hand in hand with the crooks or are you just blowin' smoke?
The man needs his stabbing-cabins.
Just like Chris Dodd and his mortgage.
I'm smelling a culture of corruption from the Democrats.
He added: “If anyone can show any remote possibility that this could be considered as a gift, I’ll quit tomorrow. If not, they should owe me an apology.”
remember nancy pelosi describing the republicans as
a culture of corruption?
[“I didn’t see anything unfair about it,”]
Bet his eyesight would be much better if this was reported about a Republican.
What a hypocrite and phony.
Interesting the the NYT chooses to notice this at this particular time.
It’s not like Al rented them yesterday.
It will blow over. He black, a democrat, and a congressman. Substitute republican for the democrat and he would be in jail right now, headed for impeachment and vilfied worldwide.
Look in the Senate. Plenty of jackasses and crooks there.
Just as I thought.
Hey Chuck, how about you call it what it is...GRAFT!!
How is it that these DIMS don’t know they got special deals? They pass the laws that define what they can and can’t do. Dodd and this Moron get away with this stuff, but if a GOP did it there would still be a flashlight up their a** and they would probably have to resign from their committees.
Yes.
Well, in any case, this is not allowed under rent stabilization regulations.
Only your primary residence can be rent-stabliized, and you only have one primary residence.
If the landlord finds that he is renting to you at the rent-stablized price, and it is not your primary residence, he can go to Housing Court and evict you. Then he gets a vacancy allowance plus a rent increase.
So it seems like the landlord must consider it advantageous not to take action.
Sure hope Rush has Mr. Snerdly do a bit about this!
ML/NJ
Why would someone ever give a politician a special deal, and keep it a secret from the guy???
Let’s see who did Charlie Rangel support in the Democratic primary? If I remember correctly he was a big Hillary supporter. The paper that broke this story that I’m sure they were aware of for a long time seems to be supporting a different Democratic candidate. Is it a coincidence that they ran this story? Perhaps the campaign as a warning to other Hillary supporters not to make trouble for the anointed candidate arranged this story? If they are willing to punish someone as powerful as Charlie Rangel others who aren’t as powerful beware.
I'll take both for $1000.00 Alex
You make a good point.
It is amazing that we see the unveiling of the minor corruptions of black officials now that Obama has given pre-absolution to the media to do this. These sins were off limits while blacks suffered under the white racist capitalist system, but now that very system, founded upon Thomas Jefferson’s child raping of Sally Hemmings, is obviously not as racist as Reverend Wright is saying it is. It is inspiring to see the shock in their indignant faces when white reporters have the audacity to challenge them at stealing from the public trough, when it was never questioned before. Now that we are electing a black man as president, the ways of the old guard and the fortresses that protect them are crumbling. The age of the double standard is gone, the curtain is gleefully pulled back and the flotsam and jetsam of black victimization is finally washed out to sea on the raging Obama tide. And Jesse Jackson can’t stand it!
Jackson is a jealous buffoon, Sharpton decides he does not owe America any income taxes and Rangel steals from the homeless in his impoverished community. Rent control is and always was a ghetto creating abomination, but it is far worse when its proponents use it to enrich themselves at the expense of those they falsely champion – which, by the way, is the classic definition of a liberal.
Another thing... Rangel is a Hillary supporter. This is a little shot over the bow in case Charlie wants to get uppity. Rangel and any other Dems for that matter. Libs are up to their necks in corruption and graft and the media is willing to turn a blind eye but they best be towing the party line for now on.
BTTT. In a Saturday edition, below the fold on the front of the dead tree edition. Not like the paper’s trying to help Charlie or anything. Snort.
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