Posted on 12/03/2010 12:27:07 PM PST by Trueblackman
After a vote of 333-79 in the U.S. House of Representatives to censure the veteran lawmaker, justice was served in the two-and-a-half year, $2 million ethics investigation of Representative Charles B. Rangel (D-NY). Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) then called Rangel to the well of the House, where she publicly read him the list of his crimes.
It lasted less that a minute. Less than 45 seconds, in fact. Then, Congress was on to new business. In January, Rangel will be sworn in for his 21st term with the legislative body.
Justice was served? Project 21 member Kevin Martin is not impressed. Here’s what he said about the crime and the punishment:
Congressman Rangel talks of “past mistakes,” but he has never really seemed willing to admit the full extent of his wrongdoing and accept any real punishment. It is another reprehensible example of a completely narcissistic, progressive black politician.
Rangel and his few supporters, namely the Congressional Black Caucus, tried to use everything — from Rangel’s skin color to his age to his service in Korea to his 40 years of public services — to convince other members of the House of Representatives to simply reprimand him. Yet they seem to have overlooked that, during Rangel’s many years of service, that included his prominent leadership position as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, he and his presumably veteran staff either did not know about or did not care about long-standing ethics rules.
It is for this reason that I believe Rangel’s colleagues on the ethics committee chose the punishment of public censure — for what good it did — over a private reprimand. Every day, Americans are jailed and fined for the types of things for which Rangel’s colleague found him guilty. He got off easy. It is long past time that Rangel accepts responsibility for his past actions and accepts this public rebuke with what little dignity he has left.
These(This)
He should have been expelled.
As if any of that absolves you of culpability in breaking the law.
btt
A Republican had similar charges and is now in PRISON. Wragel, NO PROBLEM and CHEERED ON!
I didn’t even realize after she was done that her reading the charge was the extent of his ‘censure’- not even a slap on the wrist. They then gave him a 2 minute soap box to tell everyone how he is better than them.
Pelosi read ONE CHARGE - NOT THE LIST as is REQUIRED for censuring someone. Wragel should be in PRISON who all the charges.
Demoncrats are making a mockery of our Republic as well as DESTROYING it from ALL persepctives.
Justice was served? Hardly.
They should have booted him from Congress, and he should be facing criminal charges for his actions, hopefully ending with some much deserved jail time.
It’s a JOKE!
Despite Censure, Rangel’s Name Will Remain on CCNY Building
by Wes Barrett | December 03, 2010
...
A City College of New York building that was part of the investigation leading to Rep. Charles Rangel’s (D-NY) censure by the House of Representatives will continue to bear his name.
...
In a statement the college says, “The City College of New York continues to take pride in the mission and accomplishments of the Rangel Center for Public Service, which is committed to inspiring and preparing our students for the highest levels of public service, helping ensure that those who run our nation will better reflect our diverse and talented citizenry.”
Along with its role in the House Ethics Committee investigation, the project was criticized after Rangel secured $1.9 million in public funds for the $30 million building.
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/12/03/despite-censure-rangels-name-will-remain-ccny-building
333-to-79
I think there are 42 members of the Congressional Black caucus, and we assume none of them voted for censure. That leaves 37 Congress critters so corrupt that they think Charlie is innocent.
37 give or take a couple that didn’t bother to vote.
Amen, Kevin. Well done.
Can civil or criminal actions be taken against him? He didn’t just violate ethics rules. He broke laws.
Absolutely!
When they see CRIME and CORRUPTION go unpunished, it INSPRIES them to do the same and ba a “fat cat” like Rangel.
You might want to skim this:
What Happens When Congressmen Break The Rules?
It DEPENDS on which party you are. A republican will go to prison. A Demoncrat will get a slap on the wrist.
Rep. Jim Traficant (D-OH) was the last person to face an ethics hearing, in 2002, and only the fifth person to be thrown out of the House of Representatives. Traficant was convicted that year in criminal court -— before his ethics hearing — of bribery and racketeering charges and sentenced to several years in prison. He still fought against his expulsion, defending himself in his signature profane, bellicose and passionate style, even declaring at one point that he hated the government and asked one of his witnesses, a female aide, if they had ever been lovers. After he was found guilty of violations, he refused to resign. The House still expelled him in a vote of 420 to 1.
He ran for re-election, unsuccessfully, from prison. He was released last year and ran again, futilely, this November for his old seat on a platform of dismantling the IRS.
Before Traficant, Rep. Ozzie Myers was expelled in 1990, also after being convicted of bribery. The three before them, according to the Congressional Research Service, were all kicked out during the Civil War for disloyalty to the Union.
...
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/11/what_happens_when_congressmen_break_the_rules.php
My area on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is quite diverse. We have public officials who are women, who are black, who are Hispanic and a man who likes other men.
The purpose of the Rangel Center is of course to promote diversity even further, by helping a real minority: white, heterosexual, Republican, male.
Thanks again Charlie. We love you.
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