Posted on 12/02/2010 3:48:01 PM PST by jazusamo
On the House floor tonight, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) again asserted that he did not personally gain from the acts of which he is accused, notwithstanding the fact that he failed to report, or pay taxes on, rental income received from his Dominican Republic beach house. Rangel seems to believe that if you repeatedly say something, it becomes true, no matter how absurd.
After we exposed this tax evasion, we took an even closer look at Rangel's finances and history. In September 2009, we filed a Complaint with the Ethics Committee alleging that Rangel hid more income from a six-unit brownstone apartment building in Harlem. We have also assembled other information that we have not made public painting a picture of a hustler who has cut corners his entire career.
Rangel turned the microphone over to Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) who referenced Ethics Committee staff director Blake Chisam who said at Rangel's ethics trial that Rangel was "sloppy" and that he saw "no evidence of corruption." Chisam is hardly an independent investigator. (He also has had his own financial problems.) He works for Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), who was handpicked by Nancy Pelosi who has defended Rangel throughout this process. The fact that even the Chisams of the world have to support censure speaks to the seriousness of the charges.
Scott pointed to former Rep. George Hansen (R-ID) who also left information off his financial disclosure forms. Scott did not mention that Hansen went to prison far omissions far less extensive than Rangel's. Other Rangel apologists made reference to former Rep. Tom DeLay, correctly noting that DeLay was never censured by the House. DeLay now faces prison time, prompting the question of why Rangel does not face the same.
This notion that Rangel is somehow being subjected to a harsher penalty than past violators of House rules is just plain wrong. Rangel left off hundreds of thousands in assets and income from his financial disclosure forms for a period of years, representing the most egregious violation of disclosure requirements in the history of Congress. It was not only a violation of House Rules but also a criminal violation of the False Statements Act.
And Rangel has never explained where he got all that money that he did not disclose.
So he was censured what penalty does he pay? Not can he be sent to jail for not paying taxes like Snipes?
Rules? What rules? Those are for the Little People!
Justice For Charlie Rangel! No Rules For Charlie, Dude! Justice For Charlie Rangel!
The penalty of having to say that he made mistakes while smiling the whole time.
I know I would NEVER want to have to face such horrors as Rangel has and that is what keeps me from being dishonest.
Wimps - he should have been expelled.
What would be wrong with expulsion???
HAHAHA! Did you see his presser? Wow, he is really bitter that this was a result of all the selfless charity work he tried to do.
How can people work for the government all their lives and become millionaires without being stinking corrupt?
Nam Vet
Crooks censuring Crooks. What a joke.
Drawn out court hearings and then jail time like the rest of us would have to experience by disobeying the rules that HE helped put in place!
The POS pays nothing. If Holder would do his job and investigate then prefer charges he “might” pay but that’ll happen when hell freezes over.
Amen to that!
What did Tom Delay have to pay? And How does what he did compare to Rangel?
Yep, this isn’t just about what he’s done in the last few years, he’s been corrupt for decades.
Someone in congress should have the guts to call him out on his lie of never profiting from his crooked law breaking.
How can one NOT profit from illegally taking over four rent controlled apartments and merging them into one super sized apartment?
Before today I had little respect for Peter King R-NY. Now, after seeing King defend Rangel’s lawlessness, I have none.
Rangel had to feign indigence and outrage. Then buy a round of shots for the Ethics Committee afterward. Isn't that enough??
We have no future until we root out and eliminate corruption from the top. That means Barack Obama too.
But....we will sit back and accept this and keep our mouths shut.
If this is the worst a corrupt SOB gets, then there is no justice at all.
Why the heck should any of us pay taxes and follow the rules when a person making those rules is above the law?
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