Posted on 11/18/2010 10:47:55 AM PST by Justaham
The House ethics committee's chief counsel recommended Thursday that veteran Rep. Charles Rangel be censured for financial and fundraising misconduct as lawmakers neared closure on an embarrassing 2 1/2-year-long scandal.
Chief counsel Blake Chisman called for the punishment despite the veteran New York congressman's plea, in a prepared statement in advance of the hearing, for "a drop of fairness and mercy."
If Chisam's recommendation is carried out, it would be the most serious punishment short of expulsion that could be meted out by the House. Chisam and Rangel argued their positions at a public hearing on sanctions, where the 80-year-old congressman acknowledged making mistakes in handling his finances and said he wasn't there to "retry this case."
He did say he wished the committee would weigh, in considering its vote on punishment, how the House had handled previous cases involving lawmakers who were enriched by activities they undertook that were judged to be in violation of the chamber's rules.
Rangel spoke calmly without notes as he faced the committee. He repeatedly denied he was corrupt or crooked, sparking a clash with Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Yawn
Dang! You beat me to it!
Fetch the cushions!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnS49c9KZw8
How is Rangel staying out of the criminal courts? It seems
Rangel should be doing hard time for his illegal activities-—such as tax evasion.
Maxine Waters may be wishing she had cut a deal.
CENSURE?! We need no stinkin CENSURE...KICK THE BUM OUT!! NOW!
Den of thieves passing judgment upon themselves.
Break the law or for that matter several laws as a sitting Congressman and the worst that can happen is they slap your wrist or send you home. If you didn’t pay your taxes for 17 years where the heck do you think you’d be spending Thanksgiving?
One set of laws for them and quite a different set of laws for us. God, I’m tired of working for my “masters” in DC.
I think pelosi’s priority is to push the trials through asap in order to give show sentences as her form of a “pardon”.
Start STOPPING the pensions of congressmen and women who engage in CORRUPT PRACTICES. PERIOD. That will stop this crap in a MINUTE.
Not just kick him out,
treat him the same as any other citizen would be treated for not paying taxes and the other offenses he’s committed.
End all pensions for Congress critters ANYWAY.
Everyone is going to act like this is keelhauling. He’ll have to stand up while someone reads a 15 minute speech condemning his actions,and he’ll lose his committee chairmanship (which he lost in November’s vote anyhow).
MSM will chant about how series it all is, a hugh punishment that will leave him stuned.
Then everything is back to normal.
“The only real slap down was having to give up the house Ways and Means committee chairmanship.”
The House belongs to the Pubbies now, he’ll lose that anyhow so that the ruling Pubbies will put their own in.
In other words, a frowney face sticker on his report card.
Censure should lead to prosecution for one or more of his offenses.
Given a trial, if he’s found guilty, Congress will be able to expell him ... Reference the Trafficant case ... “On April 12, 2002, after a two-month federal trial, a jury found Traficant guilty of bribery and other charges. He was sentenced to a federal prison, where he served seven years. He was expelled from the U.S. Congress on July 24, 2002.”
Gimme Rangel’s untaxed villa in the Dominican Republic, and the House can censure me every day of the week and twice on weekends for all the difference that makes.
“He repeatedly denied he was corrupt or crooked”
I guess at this point he wasn’t under oath.
And a pat on the back for surviving it.
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