Charles Rangel

Charlie Rangel Sets Up Legal Fund

Ryan J. Reilly | December 29, 2010, 10:22AM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) is asking for donations of up to $5,000 to the Charles B. Rangel Legal Expense Trust to cover anticipated further legal costs stemming from allegations of ethics violations against him, Lynn Sweet reported.

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Blake Chisam

Report: House Ethics Committee Director Blake Chisam Leaving

Ryan J. Reilly | December 16, 2010, 8:50AM

WASHINGTON, DC- Nov 18: Chief Counsel Blake Chisam during the House Standards of Official Conduct hearing on what sanctions should be brought against Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y. Rangel was found guilty on Tuesday on multiple counts of ethics violations by a House ethics subcommittee. Sanctions that could be imposed are censure, reprimand or expulsion. The full House would then vote on that sanction. (Photo by Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly)

Blake Chisam, the staff director and chief counsel of the House ethics committee who was chosen by Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), will be departing the key position imminently, The Hill reported. Chisam tendered his resignation before the election, but his departure is fueling speculation that Lofgren wants to leave the committee as well, the newspaper reports.

Chisam oversaw the committee's case against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and the delay of the trial of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).

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Charles Rangel

Report: FEC Investigating Rangel For Legal Fees

Rachel Slajda | December 6, 2010, 11:42AM

Rep. Charlie Rangel

Trouble isn't over yet for Rep. Charlie Rangel.

The New York Post reports that the Federal Elections Commission is investigating a complaint made against Rangel, alleging that he illegally used PAC funds to pay lawyers defending him in a House ethics investigation.

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Charles Rangel

Charlie Rangel's Final Plea For Reprimand (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | December 2, 2010, 8:58PM

Ahead of the vote to censure Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) for ethics violations, the long-serving congressman made a final plea on the floor of the House of Representatives for his colleagues to lessen his punishment to a reprimand.

Rangel cited his record of military service as he admitted that he brought his problems upon himself. The New York Democrat was found guilty of 11 ethics violations by the House ethics panel, which then recommended Rangel be censured. The full House voted late Thursday to do so, and Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) read out that censure immediately after the vote.

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Maxine Waters

Waters Delivers Statement Excoriating Ethics Panel For Hearing Postponement

Rachel Slajda | November 29, 2010, 10:46AM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), whose ethics hearing was scheduled to begin today before the House ethics committee postponed it indefinitely, delivered a statement in front of the room where the hearing would have taken place. As she has over the past several months, she excoriated the committee.

Waters called the panel's reason for delaying the hearing -- that new evidence could change the case -- "nothing more than an excuse."

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Ethics

Ethics Panel Says House Should Censure Charlie Rangel

Ryan J. Reilly | November 18, 2010, 6:23PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) should be censured by the House of Representatives and pay back taxes for financial and fundraising misconduct, the House ethics committee recommended late Thursday.

The House of Representatives will likely consider the motion to censure the 20-term congressman after Thanksgiving, the Associated Press reported.

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Charles Rangel

After Emotional Final Plea From Rangel, Ethics Panel Deliberates (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | November 18, 2010, 3:22PM

The House ethics committee is now deliberating in executive session on whether to recommend that the full House punish Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) for his 11 ethics violations, and how.

Before they left, Rangel made an emotional plea, choking up as he asked the members to protect his name from those who would call him a "crook."

"I don't know how much longer I have to live, but it will always be to try to help people and thank God for what he's given to me," Rangel said.

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Charles Rangel

Ethics Prosecutor Recommends Censure For Rangel

Rachel Slajda | November 18, 2010, 12:51PM

Blake Chisam, the chief counsel of the ethics committee and its de facto prosecutor, recommended today that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) be censured.

Chisam said that Rangel's 11 ethics violations are severe enough to demand censure, a formal rebuke from the House. The full House ethics committee will decide which sanction, if any, to recommend to the House, which will make the final decision by a full vote.

Rangel, who left an ethics subcommittee hearing earlier this week, is in the committee room today, making the case for light discipline and asking for mercy from the committee.

Charles Rangel

What Happens When Congressmen Break The Rules?

Rachel Slajda | November 18, 2010, 8:38AM

Former Congressman James Traficant (D-OH)

The House ethics committee will likely decide today how Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) should be punished for committing 11 ethics violations. They could recommend a range of sanctions, from giving him a stern talking to all the way to kicking him out.

No one expects Rangel, a 40-year congressman who was just re-elected with 80 percent of the vote, to be expelled. He will, more likely, face reprimand or censure.

In order to give a little bit of context to whatever punishment is recommended for Rangel, we thought we'd show you how different congress members had earned each of the three main types of sanction: expulsion, censure and reprimand.

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Charles Rangel

The Daily Show: You're A Bad Man, Charlie Rangel (VIDEO)

David Taintor | November 17, 2010, 9:41AM

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart last night had some fun at Rep. Charles Rangel's (D-NY) expense, offering his analysis of some of the finer moments of the congressman's ethics hearing.

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Charles Rangel

Rangel Sanctions Hearing Scheduled For Noon Thursday

Rachel Slajda | November 17, 2010, 9:19AM

The House ethics committee will hold a hearing at noon Thursday on whether, and how, the House should punish Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) after he was found to have committed 11 ethics violations.

An adjudicatory subcommittee found Rangel guilty of the violations yesterday. Now, the full committee will vote on a recommendation for punishment. The committee's recommendation will then be forwarded to the full House for a vote.

Punishments range from a reprimand or admonishment to expulsion. Rangel, who won re-election this month to his 21st term with 80 percent of the vote, is not expected to be expelled.

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Charles Rangel

Rangel: Ethics Findings 'Unfair'

Rachel Slajda | November 16, 2010, 2:54PM

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Charlie Rangel believes that the House ethics committee's findings, that he has committed 11 ethics violations, are "unfair."

In a statement released this afternoon, Rangel excoriated the committee once again.

"How can anyone have confidence in the decision of the Ethics Subcommittee when I was deprived of due process rights, right to counsel and was not even in the room?" he said. "I am disappointed by the unfortunate findings of the Ethics Subcommittee. The Committee's actions are unprecedented in view of the fact that they arrived at without rebuttal or counter evidence on my behalf."

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Charles Rangel

Ethics Panel Convicts Rangel Of 11 Ethics Violations

Rachel Slajda | November 16, 2010, 11:58AM

The ethics committee has found that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) violated congressional ethics rules.

The committee ruled that Rangel was guilty on 11 counts. Rangel had been accused of 13 violations. On one, the committee was deadlocked. The committee dismissed another charge, rolling it into one of the others.

The subcommittee that found the violations will now forward the convictions to the full ethics committee. The full committee will then hold another hearing, during which it will vote on whether to recommend a punishment for Rangel. If they do, they will send that recommendation -- be it admonishment, censuring, expulsion or otherwise -- to the full House for a vote.

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Charles Rangel

Ethics Committee On Rangel: 'No Material Fact Is In Dispute'

Rachel Slajda | November 15, 2010, 2:58PM

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)

The House ethics committee has found that "no material fact is in dispute" in Rep. Charlie Rangel's ethics case, and the committee has gone back into executive session to decide whether Rangel did indeed break ethics law.

The finding means that the committee accepts the facts of the case -- that Rangel (D-NY) raised money for an educational center using Congressional letterhead, that he filed inaccurate tax returns and financial disclosures, that he used a rent-controlled apartment as a campaign office -- as true. Chairman Zoe Lofgren announced the decision in a brief statement before the committee returned to executive session.

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Charles Rangel

Ethics Lawyer Uses Rangel's Floor Speech As Evidence Against Him

Rachel Slajda | November 15, 2010, 1:15PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel

After Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) left his own ethics hearing today, the ethics committee's chief counsel -- who's the de-facto prosecutor in the case, as the New York Times puts it -- submitted almost 600 exhibits as evidence, including the lengthy floor speech Rangel made in his own defense in August.

In that speech, Rangel said he may have been "stupid" and "negligent," but never "corrupt." The chief counsel for the committee, Blake Chisam, argued that the speech was an admission that Rangel did the things he's accused of: filing inaccurate tax returns, improperly using a rent-controlled apartment and fund-raising for CCNY's Rangel Center.

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Charles Rangel

Ethics Committee Will Hold Rangel Hearing Now Despite Request For Delay

Rachel Slajda | November 15, 2010, 10:44AM

After meeting privately to discuss the possibility of delaying Rep. Charlie Rangel's (D-NY) ethics hearing, the House ethics committee has decided to hold the hearing today, as planned.

Rangel will not be there.

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Charles Rangel

Rangel Threatens To Leave Hearing; Committee Now Deciding Whether To Delay (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | November 15, 2010, 9:44AM

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

After accusing the House ethics committee of denying his right to a lawyer, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) threatened to leave the hearing.

Rangel parted ways from his lawyers last month. He told the committee today that they quit, not sure he could pay the already $2 million legal bills he had racked up over the committee's two-year investigation. He also claimed the committee told him only two weeks ago that he could set up a legal defense fund to pay his lawyers, and that he didn't have enough time to create such a fund and hire counsel.

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House Ethics Committee

Rangel Represents Self, Blames Committee For Not Having Lawyers

Rachel Slajda | November 15, 2010, 9:34AM

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) is indeed representing himself during his ethics committee hearing.

He blamed the panel for him not having lawyers. He said the long investigation leading to the hearing -- two years -- racked up big legal bills for him, to the tune of $2 million. His lawyers, Rangel said, quit because they didn't think he could pay the increasing bills.

Rangel also claimed that the committee informed him that he could set up a legal defense fund only two weeks ago.

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Charles Rangel

Rangel's Ethics Trial Begins Today

Rachel Slajda | November 15, 2010, 8:30AM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Charlie Rangel's hearing before the House ethics committee begins today, two weeks after he overwhelmingly won re-election from his district in Harlem.

Rangel (D-NY) is charged with 13 ethics violations over allegations that he: (1) used official Congressional stationery and other resources to raise money for an educational center that bears his name; (2) that he made big mistakes on his financial disclosure statements; (3) that he illegally used a rent-controlled apartment for his campaign; and (4) that he failed to report taxable income from a rental villa in the Dominican Republic.

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Charles Rangel

Rangel Says He Wants To Give His Critics The Finger

Rachel Slajda | August 12, 2010, 11:45AM

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), in a campaign speech today in which he (again) defended himself against charges by the House ethics committee, said a middle finger well represents how he feels about the charges, the press and, indeed, the whole process.

Last night, at Rangel's star-studded birthday party fund-raiser, former New York City Mayor David Dinkins flipped off a protester who was calling for Rangel to resign.

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Charles Rangel

Rangel Says He's Not Quitting

Rachel Slajda | August 10, 2010, 1:38PM

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

In a long speech on the House floor today, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) vowed to continue fighting House ethics charges and promised he won't resign.

Rangel said he may have been "stupid" and "negligent," but he was never "corrupt."

To applause from some fellow Democrats, Rangel said he won't leave the House over the allegations. He also excoriated the ethics committee for not yet setting a date for his trial.

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Charles Rangel

NYT: Lawmakers, Besides Rangel, Had Endowments Funded By Corporations

Rachel Slajda | August 6, 2010, 10:24AM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

The New York Times reports today that many lawmakers in addition to embatted Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) have educational endowments in their honor heavily funded by corporations with business before Congress.

Although their spokesmen deny any similarity, the endowments have echoes of the Rangel Center, the CCNY educational center at the center of alleged ethics charges against Rangel.

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House Ethics Committee

Reports: Rep. Waters Will Also Face Ethics Trial

Rachel Slajda | August 2, 2010, 10:35AM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has reportedly decided to fight the ethics charges against her, becoming the second Congress member in a week to push for a public ethics trial rather than accept charges of wrongdoing.

Days after the ethics committee announced that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) would face an adjudicatory hearing, it was reported that Waters will also be the subject of a similar ethics hearing.

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Charles Rangel

Ethics Investigator 'Misspoke' About Reprimand For Rangel

Rachel Slajda | July 30, 2010, 5:30PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

The lead House ethics investigator in the case against Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) said this afternoon that he misspoke when he said his subcommittee had recommended a reprimand for Rangel.

Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), who lead the investigation subcommittee, told reporters earlier today that the panel had recommended a reprimand for Rangel, who is charged with 13 ethics violations.

Returning a call for clarification from TPMmuckraker, Green's spokesman now says the congressman "misspoke."

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Charles Rangel

Ethics Investigator: We Recommended Reprimand For Rangel

Rachel Slajda | July 30, 2010, 2:00PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

The House ethics panel's investigatory subcommittee says that they recommended to the full committed that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) be reprimanded for his 13 alleged violations.

Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), who led the investigation, told reporters today that his committee recommended Rangel be reprimanded instead of the more serious penalties of censure or expulsion.

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Charles Rangel

Charlie Rangel's Ethics Trial: How Did He Get Here?

Rachel Slajda | July 30, 2010, 9:54AM

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

At the beginning of the first House ethics trial since Jim Traficant was kicked out of Congress, lawmakers yesterday rattled off a list of charges against Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY).

Unless Rangel cuts a deal in which he admits wrongdoing -- something his lawyers are reportedly still trying to do, although Rangel has been adamant about professing his innocence -- he will face a very public trial on the 13 alleged violations, just weeks before the midterm elections. The trial could end with a recommendation to expel Rangel from the House.

So how did we get here?

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Charles Rangel

House Ethics Panel Announces 13 Charges Against Rangel

Rachel Slajda | July 29, 2010, 2:21PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

Despite reports of a deal, the House ethics panel just began its first public meeting on the charges against Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY). And for the first time, we're hearing the charges.

The panel is charging Rangel with 13 violations. They fall into four groups:

One, violations regarding fundraising Rangel did for a City College educational center named after him.

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Charles Rangel

Ethics Hearing Or Not, Rangel Sends Out 'Birthday Gala' Invites (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | July 29, 2010, 12:31PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

Today may be the day a House ethics panel announced its charges against Rep. Charlie Rangel for alleged ethics violations, but that didn't stop him from sending out invitations this week to a "birthday gala" for his other special day.

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Ethics

Dems Nervous Over Reports Rangel Aiming For Ethics Settlement (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | July 27, 2010, 12:20PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Democrats are increasingly nervous that Rep. Charlie Rangel's ethics investigation will bleed over into the November elections as Rangel negotiates behind the scenes for a last-minute settlement.

The Associated Press is reporting that Rangel (D-NY) former chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, is trying to settle his case in advance of Thursday's open hearing. That would mean he would have to agree he committed some ethical misconduct, the AP reported with citations to "people familiar with the situation."

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Charles Rangel

Rangel Faces Tough Fight In Ethics Committee Trial

Brian Beutler | July 26, 2010, 3:39PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

In the coming days, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) has a choice to make. He can listen to his Democratic colleagues and cut a deal, or he can face a full trial before a House panel over several allegations of misconduct.

It's extremely rare for congressional ethics proceedings to reach this stage. Members more commonly acknowledge some wrongdoing, or resign, well before they're forced to defend themselves before an official body. But the gravity of the Rangel allegations, combined with his intransigence to this point, leave him poised, potentially, to be the first House member to be tried, and even expelled, by his own colleagues since James Traficant, in 2002.

"We're kind of astonished it's gone this far," says Peter Flaherty, President of the National Legal and Policy Center, whose work led to one investigation of Rangel and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus. "We always believed the allegations against Rangel were serious, but we never thought the Ethics Committee would do anything."

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Charles Rangel

Rangel: Ethics Commitee Investigated 'More Alleged Violations'

Rachel Slajda | July 26, 2010, 12:25PM

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

At a press conference this morning, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) told reporters that the House ethics committee looked into "more alleged violations" than have been reported in the press.

"They finally have investigated and guess what, they have some more alleged violations so they're going to report this to the full committee," he said, reports Politico's Maggie Haberman.

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House Ethics Committee

Rangel At Press Conference: 'My Lawyers Are Gonna Kill Me'

Rachel Slajda | July 23, 2010, 2:52PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) held a press conference today in his Harlem office to mostly brush off reporters' questions about the ethics allegations against him.

"My lawyers are gonna kill me," he began, "because they say the best thing in my best interest is not to make any comment. ... I don't know how to say no comment."

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Charles Rangel

Rangel, Asked If He's Worried About Losing His Job: 'That's A Dumb Question' (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | July 23, 2010, 10:09AM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

The House ethics committee announced yesterday that it will charge Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) with unnamed ethics violations. The step to form an adjudicatory subcommittee to try Rangel is a rare step, one last used eight years ago in the case of former Rep. Jim Traficant (D-OH), who was then expelled from the House.

But Rangel isn't worried.

Asked by MSNBC's Luke Russert if he's worried about losing his job, Rangel got defensive.

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Charles Rangel

Rangel Charged With Ethics Violation

Rachel Slajda | July 22, 2010, 4:55PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) has been charged with ethics violations, the House ethics panel announced today.

The committee did not announce the specifics of the violations.

The panel has reportedly been investigating Rangel for the four rent-controlled apartments he rents in Harlem and his fundraising efforts for a City College of New York educational center named in his honor.

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Financial Disclosures

Personal Financial Information Of Members Of Congress Released

Justin Elliott | June 17, 2010, 11:35AM

Personal financial disclosure forms from members of Congress, showing assets and other information as of the end of last year, are now available for perusal.

There are lots of fun tidbits. For example, Sen. John Ensign's wife was paid $2,350 in salary by HairArts LLC of Las Vegas. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) got dividends from Pizza Hut (Yum! Brands).

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Eric Massa

Conservative Group Files FEC Complaint Against Massa

Zachary Roth | April 20, 2010, 12:35PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

A conservative legal group that previously has targeted Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) now is going after another Democrat -- Eric Massa.

The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) yesterday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, charging that payments from the former New York congressman's campaign -- one to a former top aide, and another for a car -- broke campaign laws.

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Ethics

The Rangel Caribbean Junket Docs: Dig In!

Justin Elliott | February 26, 2010, 5:55PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

The House ethics panel has now released the documents in the investigation that found Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) violated House rules by taking corporate-funded junkets to the Caribbean.

We ran down the results of the investigation here. But we need your help going through the raw materials for any good nuggets. Links after the jump.

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Charles Rangel

Rangel: I Was Misled On Caribbean Junkets; Ethics Panel: Us Too!

Justin Elliott | February 26, 2010, 9:10AM

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

The ethics committee's official report admonishing Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), released late last night, concludes that Rangel's staff knew that two Caribbean junkets were paid for by corporations, in violation of House rules.

In another development, the committee is referring to the Justice Department the matter of three employees of Carib News -- which sponsored the trips -- who allegedly submitted false information to the committee during pre-travel review for the trips in question.

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Charles Rangel

Ethics Panel Finds Rangel Broke House Rules

Justin Elliott | February 25, 2010, 6:30PM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

The AP is reporting that the House ethics panel has found Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) accepted trips to the Caribbean "in violation of House rules that forbid hidden financing by corporations."

The ethics panel announced it was looking at the trips, sponsored by an organization called the Carib News Foundation, in June. Four other House Dems, all members of the Congressional Black Caucus, took similar trips; but the AP says the other members have been cleared.

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Allen Stanford

Meeks Stays Mum On Ties To Stanford

Zachary Roth | December 30, 2009, 8:44AM

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY)

Faced with a credible news report that they agreed to a request from Allen Stanford to ask Hugo Chavez to file criminal charges against a Venezuelan banker, most politicians would likely want to respond. Either to deny the story, or at least to offer some generic and uncontroversial sentiment like "Congressman X believes Allen Stanford should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law." After all, that's not exactly the kind of story most pols want to leave just hanging out there.

Not Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), though. Over 60 hours after McClatchy reported that Meeks agreed to that request during a 2006 phone call with Stanford, the New York congressman remains mum. His office didn't respond to McClatchy, and his press secretary hasn't returned two voice-mails and email from TPMmuckraker.

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