On Thursday November 18, the House ethics committee recommended censure for New York Representative Charles Rangel. The committee suggested he needed to “suffer the embarrassment of standing before his colleagues” while receiving an oral rebuke for financial and fundraising misconduct, to include back tax debt.
The committee determined with a 9-1 vote that Rangel should be censured, as well as pay back taxes owed on a vacation villa in the Dominican Republic.
Rangel, a 20 term congressman apologized for his conduct but claims he was not out for personal gain or to “go beyond” what was given to him as a salary. Rangel went on to address the committee stating, “I apologize for any embarrassment I’ve cause you individually and collectively as a member of the greatest institution in the world.”
Republican Michael McCaul questioned Rangel’s claims that he was not corrupt asking how a failure to pay taxes for 17 years was not corrupt. Rangel was the former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee – the very committee that writes taxes.
Other charges Rangel faced involved improperly using official resources. Rangel was found to have used congressional letterheads and staff to raise money for the Rangel center. Donations to the center were poor until Rangel rose to head the Ways and Means Committee.
Rangel was found guilty on 11 of the 13 charges he was facing on November 16th.
Source: Huffington Post
Posted by JK Harris
Posted by johnharris 
