Embattled New York Congressman Charlie Rangel has announced that he will “temporarily” step down from his prized leadership role on the House Ways and Means Committee after being admonished by an ethics panel for accepting corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean earlier this week.
Initial news of Rangel’s departure came from Washington insider and MSNBC reporter Chuck Todd, who broke the news via Twitter on Monday night. Todd reports that Rangel voluntarily gave up his Chairmanship and will announce his decision publicly Wednesday.
Rangel reportedly had second thoughts about the decision, according to Todd. This was seen by Rangel’s defiant stance Tuesday night when he responded “You bet your life” when asked by reporters if he was still Chairman.
On Wednesday morning, however, Rangel was singing a different tune, telling reporters he had made the decision in a formal letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, asking her to grant him a “leave of absence” until the ethics committee investigation into his activities is completed.
A flurry of Democrat lawmakers have publicly turned on the Harlem Congressman, most notably Alabama Rep. Artur Davis, who is a fellow member of the Congressional Black Caucus and House Ways and Means.
Rangel was apparently informed that he does not have the votes to keep his seat. According to Politico.com, Reps. Paul Hodes (N.H.), Brad Ellsworth (Ind.), Artur Davis (Ala.), Bobby Bright (Ala.), Gene Taylor (Miss.), Mike Quigley (Ill.), Betty Sutton (Ohio), Harry Mitchell (Ariz.), Zack Space (Ohio), Debbie Halvorson (Ill.), John Adler (N.J.), Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.), Jim Hines (Conn.) and Gabrielle Giffords (Ariz.) have said publicly – either personally or through aides — that they plan to join Republicans in voting to remove Rangel.
The ethics panel, formally known as the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, concluded after a nearly two-year-long investigation that Rangel had corporate sponsorship for trips to Antigua in 2007 and St. Maarten in 2008, a clear violation of congressional gift rules.
Rangel denied ever knowing of the corporate sponsorship and said the investigation “exonerates” him.
The 20-term Congressman still faces a laundry list of scandals, including abuse of New York City rent-stabilization laws, failing to disclose rental income on a villa in the Dominican Republic, use of his congressional office to raise money for a college center in his name, and belated financial disclosure of hundreds of thousands of dollars in previously unreported wealth.
Democrat Congressman Pete Stark will take over the Chair, according to Todd.
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How can someone get corporate sponorship and not even know about it ? And 20 terms ? Please it is about that this piece of crap thief get kicked out of his office. So long charlie. So long you piece of crap.