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Posted on 12/02/2010 1:36:58 PM PST by Justaham
With a censure vote looming this afternoon, Rep. Charlie Rangel clashed with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) in a closed-door meeting this morning, as the New York Democrat and his supporters demanded the right to seek a lesser punishment for a series of ethics violations.
Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jo Bonner (R-Ala.) came to the floor shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon to offer the censure resolution against Rangel, who was found guilty of 11 ethics violations related to his personal finances. Lofgren and Bonner are taking one hour of floor time for the resolution, half of which will be given to Rangel to defend himself.
A vote could come some time after 5 p.m.
Censure is the most serious punishment the House can mete out to a member short of expulsion. The 80-yerd Rangel will be required to stand in the well of the House while Pelosi reads out a public rebuke of the veteran lawmaker. This will be the first time in 30 years that the House has considered censuring a lawmaker.
Lofgren read some of the basic charges against Rangel, and she acknowledged that some lawmakers have asked for a more gentle rebuke of Rangel. But she defended the process.
“For precedent to be followed, precedent must be set,” Lofgren said. “… The purpose of the ethics process is not punishment, but accountability and integrity.”
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other Rangel supporters have been lobbying their colleagues frantically throughout the day to support an amended resolution calling for a formal reprimand. That resolution would just be entered into the Congressional Record, and Rangel would not have to stand before his colleagues to be rebuked.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
POPCORN. . .get your POPCORN here!!!
He walked out of his ethics trial, he'd probably just walk out of this as well.
HANG ‘EM.
Censure is the most serious punishment the House can mete out to a member short of expulsion. The 80-yerd Rangel will be required to stand in the well of the House while Pelosi reads out a public rebuke of the veteran lawmaker.
Oh GOOD GRIEF! What is the freaking point? I’m sure that once she is finished with her “rebuke” she will give him a smile and a wink!
How much taxpayer money was wasted on this case when it all comes to this? Why didn’t they just say “Well, we could investigate Charlie cause he probably did a lot of bad stuff, but we’ve decided it would be pointless because no matter WHAT we discover, the worst that will happen is a ‘rebuke.’”
Rangel talking now.....WTF does getting injured in war have to do with stealing money?
Only in a liberla world does this make sense.
Rangel is a weasel redux.
He could be the gift that keeps on giving for 2 more years.
I am sure censure once meant something way back when.....but it is now meaningless as these vermin have no shame.
If he walks out, Boehner should rise and call for his expulsion.
The real intrigue is why isn't Maxine Waters getting the same slap on the wrist that Charlie is?
Spinchter of the Horse versus a horse’s ass.
He could avoid censure with a resignation.
Victim mentality, everyone is a victim.
He should count his blessings that he is not going to JAIL!
Actually, it's almost 30 years (1983) since the House censured (not "considered censuring") a member -- Gerry Studds, for getting pages drunk and having sex with them. Oddly enough, another Dem.
Ala Bud Dwyer?
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