Posted on 02/27/2010 1:40:34 AM PST by HospiceNurse
The House ethics committee says Rep. Charles Rangel's aides tried at least three times to show him that his Caribbean trips had corporate sponsors, but he denies seeing any of the written communications.
The ethics committee report released Friday is important in determining how aware Rangel was that he was receiving corporate gifts. The powerful Ways and Means Committee chairman says he did nothing wrong because his staff never told him about corporate sponsors.
The report says investigators could not determine whether Rangel, D-N.Y., saw two staff memos to him in 2008 and a letter addressed to him in 2007.
Rangel refuses to step aside as top House tax writer because of the report, which accuses him of violating rules governing gifts that lawmakers can accept.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The Dispicable Wench belongs in Prison for the rest of his days before he gets an all expenses paid trip to HELL! But OBOZO will probably promote him to GRAND CZAR in charge of ETHICS and MORALS for AMERICA! He sure has proven he is qualified to be a major Player in the OBOZO Administration...:-(
You know if this was anyone other than a Rat congresscritter he would be tried in court.
Same Arlen Specter tone in response. Now wait just one minute! Who the hell do you think was paying for those trips?
Can't wait till they decide to pay him back. A book deal could bring in big $$$$.
Republicans need to reintroduce the 'Rangel Rule' right now...
“Rangel Rule Act of 2009“, [is] the brainchild of Rep. John Carter, a Texas Republican who spent two decades as a judge before coming to the House in 2002. H.R. 735 would require the IRS to give everyone the same kid-glove treatment it gave Rangel. …
Under H.R. 735, if you’re caught cheating on your taxes, you would pay what you owe, then write “Rangel Rule” at the top of your return, and you wouldn’t be charged any penalty or interest. That way, Carter said when he introduced the bill, ordinary taxpayers would be “treated with the same courtesy that, it seems, the IRS is treating the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.”
excellent info *bump*
A lot will depend on just how close Pelosi is to delivering the House on the Senate version of 0bamacare. She puts the skids under Charlie and the Black Caucus is going to want its pound of flesh in return, and that's not going to make things any easier. Offhand I'd guess he survives until that's settled out and the Dems have stuck all eleven grubby, saliva-coated fingers into the wind to see if he's expendable. I don't see anything much worse than a retirement to "spend more time with his family" though.
Seize HIM!!! He is a criminal.He needs to be in a federal penitentiary for life!!!
Rangel knew as well as he knew about his old Cadillac being stored in a congressional parking lot. The same as he knew he could not accept a rent controlled apartment nor use one for his political office. He’s a crook! Just like Pelosi, Reid, Feinstein.
More than Rangel went too.
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/44251
The New York Democrat, the panel concluded, had violated congressional lobbying rules when he was flown to Caribbean business conferences in recent years at the expense of corporate sponsors. Those same companies, though, had also sponsored the travel arrangements of five other House members — Democratic Reps. Donald Payne (N.J.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.), Yvette Clarke (N.Y.), Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (Mich.) and Delegate Donna Christensen (V.I.) — none of whom were cited for violations of ethics rules. The ethics panel found that those members were unaware that the corporations were funding the travel, whereas members of Rangel’s staff were.
Yet Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, wonders just how unaware they were. In a statement issued yesterday, Sloan argued that if Rangel’s office knew the source of the funds, the others surely would have known as well. “The notion that Rep. Rangel alone was aware the trip was sponsored by corporate donors defies logic,” she said.
There were banners identifying specific corporate donors and Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ), publicly thanked corporate sponsors. The fact is, each and every member of Congress present was equally as culpable as Rep. Rangel and all should be held to the same standard.
What about when it comes time to fill out the expense report for the trip? You know like the one good ol’ pelosi signed off on for the booze and animal crackers for her family and grandkids?
Is there anything more crooked than Charlie Rangel?
Apparently not.
Were these memos or emails? If they were emails then it could be proven if he did or did not open the email and read it.
Damn crook needs to be behind bars. How much longer can we afford to have this country being run by criminals?
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