Rangel Retains Top Post
This should be an AYFKM? Award but I think something stupidier is going to happen today since the political junkies are awaiting a meeting at the WH about Afghanistan in the next 1/2 hour.
Non-rep Charlie Rangel (D-NY), chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee has numerous allegations and on-going investigations against him.
This call for Rangel to step down comes from Rep. John Carter (R-TX) posted on RedState.
The ongoing saga of Charlie Rangel: Why now’s the time he needs to step down
One month, 12 months and 15 months.
That’s how long it has been since we learned of Congressman Charlie Rangel’s (D-NY) most recent failure to disclose financial assets, since the New York Times first called for him to step down as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and since the House Ethics Committee began investigating Rangel’s previous violations, respectively.
Yet through all that — despite all the revelations of not disclosing income and not paying taxes — Mr. Rangel still runs the committee that oversees the IRS and enforces the tax laws for all Americans, except for himself.
To allow Mr. Rangel to continue to serve as Chairman is the same as allowing a confessed bank robber to serve as Chairman of the Banking Committee during the trial.
The reputation and integrity of this body has suffered serious damage by the actions of Mr. Rangel, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not lived up to her promise to make this the most honest and ethical House in history.
So last week, I said I would give Mr. Rangel until this week to voluntarily resign the chairmanship of Ways and Means, or I would introduce a Privileged Resolution to force his removal. Mr. Rangel has not stepped down, so I have introduced this resolution.
And Democrats continue to support him. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer already has said he’ll move to block this attempt.
Mr. Rangel’s list of violations continues to grow. You or I would have paid tens of thousands of dollars in interest and penalties had we committed similar tax evasions. Rangel apparently is immune from penalties, which is unethical, but especially unscrupulous when you consider his powerful Chairman position.
This is not the first time I have moved to have Mr. Rangel removed from his chairmanship. I offered a similar Privileged Resolution in February, but Democrats under Speaker Pelosi blocked consideration of the bill.
When the Ethics Committee first began investigating Mr. Rangel on July 31, 2008, Speaker Pelosi publicly stated that the investigation would be complete before the end of 2008. But with the probe now well into its second year, the investigation has already been expanded twice to include new charges of tax and ethics violations by Mr. Rangel.
My hope is that Mr. Rangel’s resignation from his position is just the tip of the iceberg in a real push to make this House more ethical since Speaker Pelosi apparently is unwilling to do so herself.
We all knew this was going to happen during the vote today.
Dems sink GOP effort to take away Rangel’s chairmanship
Democrats thwarted a Republican attempt to dethrone Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) from the top post of the Ways and Means Committee Wednesday afternoon.
In a mostly party-line vote of 243-156 with 19 members voting present, Democrats successfully passed a procedural motion referring the matter to the House Ethics Committee – a move that sank a GOP effort to remove Rangel from the powerful tax-writing panel.
Republican Conference Secretary John Carter (Texas) introduced a resolution that would have forced Rangel to give up the gavel until the ethics committee finishes the investigation into multiple allegations against him.
Carter, a former judge, says the lack of any action by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) or the Democratic Caucus has forced the GOP to call on Rangel to relinquish the chairmanship of the House committee that oversees the IRS and the tax code.
Rangel initiated the ethics committee investigation when allegations first surfaced last summer that he failed to report $75,000 worth of rental income on a villa he owns in the Dominican Republic. Since then, other accusations have surfaced and the ethics panel has twice expanded its investigation.
