Rep. Rangel dares House to expel him

The Hill ^ | 8-10-10 | Jordan Fabian and Susan Crabtree

[Justaham]

Embattled Rep. Charles Rangel defended himself on the House floor Tuesday, daring members to expel him.

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) maintained that he did not intentionally break any House rules and complained about the investigation and trial process conducted by the House ethics panel, which has brought 13 charges against him.

"It may be stupid, it may be negligent, but it's not corrupt," Rangel said in a meandering speech that lasted more than 30 minutes.

In professing his innocence of all charges, Rangel also invited the ethics panel and House to take its shot at expelling him.

"I'm not asking for leniency, I'm asking for exposure of the facts," Rangel said.

"If I can't get my dignity back here, then fire your best shot at getting me expelled," the 20-term lawmaker said.

Earlier in his speech, Rangel said, "I am not going away. I am here," triggering light applause from some lawmakers.

It takes two-thirds of the House to expel a member.

A Democratic lawmaker who requested anonymity said House Democratic leaders attempted to persuade Rangel not to deliver his speech. The Democratic source called Rangel's address a "train wreck."

The ethics committee nearly reached an agreement with Rangel for the House to reprimand him, but that deal fell apart last month.

"This has to stop sometime. It has to stop," Rangel said, pointing out he requested the ethics probe more than two years ago. "I deserve and demand the right to be heard."

[Shady]

We will see. I do not think his approval with the minority vote is as deep as suggested.....

[Candor7]

Charlie is fightinng the pro Obama faction of the black caucus.They want him gone becuase he won't go along with Obamas grass roots Acorn plan to set up a fascist power base in Harlem.Obama thirsts for this base beause then he can have several major racial radical centers ready to riot at his command.Charlie and Maxine will havenone of it, they like their own polirical systems in their constituencies, and will not knuckle under to Obama.

Charlie is laying the wood tothe Obama faction. I am glad he is fighting Obama. I wish that Republicans had a modicum of Rangel's pluck. They should be supporting him.

[Shady]

So is an Iranian A-Bomb...dropped on the city that will protest the most if the Regime goes Totalitarian. Dallas. Watch out.

[longtermmemmory]

The Democrats are playing rollerball.
actually the insiders are playing rollerball.

They thought they could force rangel into retirement.
announced he was going to resign.
nobody asked rangel.

[clintonh8r]

Is there any room left under the bus?

[Doogle]

arrogant POS

[Justaham]

Rangel thinks the House can’t expel him. He’s black, /s

[xuberalles]

Where’s Donald Trump when you need him? Mr. Rangel...you’re fired!

[Gabrial]

“The idea that he claims he is ‘black’ has fooled both black and white.”

Good point. I wonder what his dead mother thinks about that.

[KTM rider]

"I am not going away. I am here,"

I am the walrus....koo-koo-kachoo

[TheOldLady]

Who is naif enough to think that these “investigations” are going anywhere? It doesn’t matter what Rangel or Waters says. This is just going to end with a whimper, and a big distraction will appear in the “news.” When that “huge story” is finished, we will never hear another word about Rangel’s and Waters’s corruption.

[struggle]

>The Democrats are playing rollerball.
actually the insiders are playing rollerball.

As Jonathan or the corporations?

[lentulusgracchus]

Charlie knows where the Democrat bodies are buried.

I'm sure he does.

Which is why he had better shut the hell up before he gets his ticket cancelled by the Nosler Veto.

[lentulusgracchus]

Charlie is playing to his constituency back home. He says what they want to hear, he is what they want him to be.

Which still does not give him an absolute right to sit in our House of Representatives.

I sincerely hope Charlie and Maxine do, as you say, "walk" .... past the Democrats ..... right into a stone wall of 300 new Republican congressmen in January, to get tossed on their ass like they deserve!

That would be a demonstration of Pubbie "ethics"!! ..... And damn good politics.

[lentulusgracchus]

Where is dear friend Hillary whom Charlie supported over Obamah?

Oooo. There's a thought. Is that where this all started?

Is all this another fish-in-a-wrapper message? Or the "sleeps with the fishes" payoff?

[lentulusgracchus]

I expel Charlie Rangel every morning.

LOL!

[henkster]

My point is that even if Charlie gets the long overdue boot from OUR House of Representatives, the replacement voted into office by his constituency will be a younger copy of the same corrupt person. Charlie replaced Adam Clayton Powell as representative from that district, IIRC. Same man, different name. I expect nothing different from the next criminal.

[UCANSEE2]

I wonder what his dead mother thinks about that.

I wonder if it's WHY his mother is dead.

[lentulusgracchus]

At least if Charlie were replaced by Charlie II (or Adam Clayton Powell III, as you say -- I was around when the press were after Powell, and his stink was wafting across the waters from Bimini, whither he had fled from them to hole up with his Bahamian friends), he would be junior.

Alas, I think you're right, and the only cure for that district would yield about 60 kilotons and might damage the Museum of Natural History and the Empire State Building further downtown.