Congressman Charlie “Red” Rangel courted and recieved millions of dollars from AIG executives for a CUNY building with the New York Democrat’s name on it, reports The New York Times.
Rangel’s relationship with AIG centers around one Maurice R. Greenberg, chief executive of the embattled insurance giant until 2005. Greenberg, who was until recently one of the company’s biggest shareholders, sponsored fund-raisers for Rangel. In 2007, a Greenberg-controlled foundation gave $5 million to the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at CUNY.
The Charlie Rangel Center
Rangel and CUNY officials courted AIG executives for nearly two years in an attempt to get the company to donate $10 million to the building. E-mail correspondance from City College’s director of development, Rachelle Butler, to Rangel in 2006 suggested they focus fund-raising events on AIG for a contribution.
A month after Rangel asked for the contribution, the top AIG executive who was at the fund-raising meeting wrote to Rangel, urging him to support a provision of a tax bill that would save AIG millions of dollars a year. Rangel dropped his opposition to the measure, but it still became law.
Rangel has said that City College’s request for the $10 million, and the letter from AIG, played no part in his decision on the legislation. A colleague in the New York delegation, Representative Joseph Crowley, said that he was responsible for persuading Rangel to support the tax change. AIG has never donated to the Rangel Center.
The Rangel Center has become a center of focus in the ongoing ethics investigation on the New York Democrat Congressman. Oil company Nabors Industries, Inc. reportedly donated $1 million to Rangel for the building in return for Rangel’s help in getting a tax loophole made into law.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Rangel#Early_ … "In the Battle of Kunu-Ri, PFC 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 some looked to Rangel, who was only a private first class. Rangel with others, helped lead 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."
And your point is?? Thank You Mr Rangel for your Military Service Shame on you Mr Rangel for your Corrupt Public"service"??
post s/b here. oops, clicked the wrong reply button.
Knowing that Rangel was once that man should make you wonder and question what is about serving in public office that causes a hero to molt into this snake before us today. Rangel's lengthy political career unfortunately is not nearly as pretty as his military career that earned him a purple heart and is more deserving of a prison sentence of hard labor!
I don’t get your point, either.
Seems like you’re saying that Rangel is entitled to rip off the taxpayer with his corrupt, tax-chizzling and abuses of power simply because he served the country during a war.
Knowing that Rangel was once that man should make you wonder and question what is about serving in public office that causes a hero to molt into this snake before us today. Rangel’s lengthy political career unfortunately is not nearly as pretty as his military career that earned him a purple heart and is more deserving of a prison sentence of hard labor!
Flush them all.
Okay, Democrats First!
The whole system is corrupt.
Indeed, it is. Doesn’t excuse Rangel though.
He won his Purple Heart in Korea when he bent over to shine the General's shoes and got shot in the ass!
NG: Forget about Rangel already. It would be harder to unseat him than it would be for Teddy Kennedy. The moulies vote for him by rote. He is the grease than runs off the “fried poke chops’” at Sylvias Restaurant. If he stripped naked and showed his THANG they still would still vote for him- 95%+. NG: It’s a lost cause. HOw many black listgeners does TRP have? 1 1/2
Throw the bums out!
The House ethics panel announced Thursday that it would review Rep. Charles B. Rangel’s lease of four rent-stabilized apartments in a Harlem high-rise as well as his use of congressional letterhead to contact potential donors to an educational center that bears his name.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080801/pl_polit …
@ Frank:
I could not figure out exactly how he got that awkward smirk on his face – now I know.
Rangel is corrupt, and corrupted, and needs to go.