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November 16, 2010 09:55 PM UTC

At Least He's Not Your Congressman

  • 34 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

He might not be anybody’s Congressman for much longer. From The NY Times:

A House panel on Tuesday found Representative Charles B. Rangel guilty of 11 counts of ethical violations, ruling that his failure to pay taxes, improper solicitation of fund-raising donations and failure to accurately report his personal income had brought dishonor on the House.

After a public hearing Monday that was truncated by Mr. Rangel walking out in protest, an adjudicatory subcommittee of the House ethics committee deliberated for four hours before finding him guilty of all but one of the 13 counts against him.

(Two other counts, involving Mr. Rangel’s misuse of House franking privileges, were merged into one.)…

…While the committee has the power to recommend expulsion, that is highly unlikely. Ethics experts and committee members have said that Mr. Rangel, 80, is more likely to face a letter of reprimand or a formal censure.

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34 thoughts on “At Least He’s Not Your Congressman”

  1. by Mr. Rangel walking out in protest

    he’s been judged and found guilty by his peers, what an embarrassment this man is. I wonder if he’ll resign and slink away into private life (hopefully) or if he’ll continue onward as if none of this happened (hope not but seems likely)  

            1. And the DA, if I am remembering correctly had to call multiple Grand Juries before he could get an indictment.

              It seemed pretty political to me at the time.  We’ll see.

                1. The trial has been delayed for years.  The initial indictment was, IIRC, ditched by the DA for some reason. (I can’t remember whether it was a Texas Supreme Court ruling or if there was a technical issue with the indictment.)  And then the DA decided to try Delay’s buddies first.  And Delay has been contesting things and slowing things down, for what reason I do not know (unless he was hoping that the DA would die before he got to trial…).

                  The whole “multiple grand juries” thing is mis-representing the proceedings.

                  1. and it isn’t some pesky nuisance charge, either.

                    DeLay and two associates – John Colyandro and Jim Ellis – are accused of illegally channeling $190,000 in corporate donations collected by DeLay’s PAC in Texas through an arm of the Washington-based Republican National Committee, or RNC. The money went to seven Texas House candidates. Under Texas law, corporate money cannot go directly to political campaigns.

                    … The former Houston-area congressman is charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces up to life in prison if convicted [emphasis added].

    2. the party will demand, in  exchange for a punishment no worse than censure, that he will need to voluntarily retire for the good of the party.  He is 80, after all.  It ought to be made clear to him that If he refuses, the party  will need to look to its own interests and impose a much harsher punishment.

      1. they’re not going to go as far as expulsion…this isn’t a Jim Trafficant case.

        Besides, no one has even been officially censured since 1983.

        He’s already been stripped of his chairmanship, won’t be the ranking member come January, he’ll probably get an official reprimand, Newt Gingrich/Barney Frank style, and that’ll be it.

        If the Upper West side and Harlem want him as their Rep it’s up to them, not the Dem party.

          1. But nobody’s faster whipping out the magnifying glass to thread the needle of responsibility if it’s an (R) in the title.

            🙂

            Hope to see you Saturday, but I understand the history behind your probable reticence.

        2. But he would still be doing his party a big favor by going away. He’s an embarrassment and the offenses are considerable, not just forgot to dot an eye kind of stuff. I think he should do the right thing and fall on his sword.  

          1. to turn any attempt to get him to resign into martyrdom.

            And martyring Charlie Rangel would likely have consequences for years among his base.

            Crooked scumbag or not, the people of Harlem like the guy, as they liked crooked scumbag Adam Clayton Powell before him.  Why? Both Rangel and Powell took care of them.

            All politics is local.

            1. I thought he’d do it. I agree he’s not a for the good of my party type. It’s really sad because he’s been a good Rep, a vet, I always liked his tough guy charm and gravelly voice.  But he’s an old style New York pol who treated his congressional seat like a fiefdom. He’s 80.  His time is past. His era is past. Too bad he won’t take this opportunity to retire.

                2. but all politics are not local. Politics is a two party team sport (even the few independent lawmakers choose to align with the R or D) with wider implications than merely local. But, as I said, I do realize that Rangel won’t go.

  2. The investigator testified that he found no evidence that Rangel did this either for influence or to unduly enrich himself.  

    Without evidence of criminal wrongdoing, this is “merely” an ethical violation, and it will probably rate the reprimand or perhaps a censure.  I’d suggest a retirement, too.  It’s not like Rangel’s seat is in danger of going Republican if he retires, and he’ll be set for the rest of his life on his Congressional pension.

    1. The committee voted 19-1 to recommend the full Congress vote on a censure resolution against Rangel.

      Censure is the strongest measure the Congress can take short of expulsion; of course, Democrats already took their own measures in caucus by having him step down from his committee chairmanship positions; that could be considered a stronger punishment than the censure.

    1. Charles Bernard Rangel was born in Harlem in New York City, the second of three children. His family was Roman Catholic. His father Ralph Rangel, Sr. (January 6, 1900-?) was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His mother Blanche Mary Wharton (March 20, 1904-March 6, 1995) worked as a maid and as a seamstress in a factory in New York’s Garment District. Rangel’s father was a frequently absent, unemployed man who was abusive to his wife and who left the family when his son was six years old. Rangel did well in elementary and middle school, and began working at a neighorhood drug store at the age of eight.Rangel then attended DeWitt Clinton High School, but was often truant and was sometimes driven home by the police. His maternal grandfather, an early role model who worked in a courthouse and knew many judges and lawyers, kept him from getting into more serious trouble. Rangel dropped out at age 16 during his junior year and worked in various low-paying jobs, including selling shoes.

      A 2nd Infantry Division unit nearby to Rangel’s, fighting a rear-guard action in the Battle of Kunu-Ri in late November 1950 during the Korean War.Rangel then enlisted in the United States Army, and served from 1948 to 1952. During the Korean War, he was a member of the all-black 503rd Field Artillery Battalion in the 2nd Infantry Division. In late November 1950, this unit was caught up in heavy fighting in North Korea as part of the U.N. forces retreat from the Yalu River. In the Battle of Kunu-ri, Rangel was part of a vehicle column that was trapped and attacked by the Chinese Army.In the subzero cold, Rangel was injured by shrapnel from a Chinese shell. Some U.S. soldiers were being taken prisoner, but others looked to Rangel, who though only a private first class had a reputation for leadership in the unit. Rangel led some 40 men from his unit, during three days of freezing weather, out of the Chinese encirclement; nearly half of the battalion was killed in the overall battle.Rangel was awarded a Purple Heart for his wounds and the Bronze Star with Valor for his actions in the face of death. His Army unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, and three battle stars. In 2000, Rangel reflected with CBS News that “Since Kunu Ri – and I mean it with all my heart, I have never, never had a bad day.”

      You see, there’s a real person behind the simplistic labeling.

      1. Once ensconced in his safe seat there is no way around the fact that he wasn’t just careless. He was personally corrupt in the usual petty ways and out of the usual sense of entitlement that characterize so many pols with much less distinguished backgrounds than his. That he is a real American hero doesn’t excuse his later shabby behavior, it just makes it very sad. It’s sad to see this old lion winding up his career as a rather pathetic figure and through no fault but his own.  

  4. it quoted from the NY Times.  So I’m supposed to go search around for a positive and UNRELATED article (from Wikipedia no less) when referencing a CP diary?  This guy is as dirty as they get, dishonorable, and unethical.  I’m sure if he was a Republican you’d all be calling him a baby killer as well given his military record.

    1. You come here at your pleasure.  Nobody forces you.

      If you don’t like things here, you can always delete the bookmark.

      Or continue to whine.  Which is what most of us expect you to do.

      Man up and leave.

    2. Please, “this guy is as dirty as they get” only exposes your bias and doesn’t disclose any additional relevant information.

      We here at CP like to get down and into the details.

      How is it that bringing to the readers attention some FACTS about Rangel are somehow unrelated….to an article about….Rangel?

      Take Ralphies advice.

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