Charles Rangel

Flaherty: Rangel Denials 'Implausible'

Submitted by NLPC Staff on Thu, 03/04/2010 - 23:00

CNN's Anderson Cooper looks at resignation of Rep. Chairman Charles Rangel as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, with Joe Johns reporting. NLPC President Peter Flaherty calls Rangel's claim "implausible" that he did not know of corporate sponsorship of Caribbean junket. Click here to download a 2-page pdf transcript.

Photo Casts More Doubt on Rangel Claims

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 21:43

The admonishment last week of House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) was based in part on photos, audio recordings and other materials that I provided the Ethics Committee from the 2008 St. Maarten junket. Rangel still claims, however, that he did not know of the corporate involvement. I went back today and found this photo. I did not provide it to the Ethics Committee because I never imagined that Rangel would make such a claim. This photo is more proof that Rangel’s protestation of ignorance is simply not plausible.

Here’s another photo that shows the gentleman above in the blue jacket is Rangel. In both photos, to his right is former New York mayor David Dinkins. To his left is Carl McCall, the former Comptroller New York state.

Fox News: NLPC Exposed Rangel Junket

Submitted by NLPC Staff on Sun, 02/28/2010 - 16:37

Fox News Channel reports on the House Ethics Committee's admonition of Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) for accepting trips to Caribbean paid for by Citigroup and other corporations. NLPC President Peter Flaherty attended 2008 St. Maarten event and made photographs and recordings showing corporate involvement

Rangel Scandal Timeline

Flaherty: Rangel Dirty Even After Coming Clean (CNN/Anderson Cooper video)

Flaherty: Rangel Had to Know of Junket's Corporate Sponsorship

Submitted by NLPC Staff on Sun, 02/28/2010 - 15:56

Fox News Channel reports on the House Ethics Committee's admonition of Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel for accepting travel from Citigroup and other corporations. NLPC President Peter Flaherty, who exposed the violation, says Rangel had to be aware of corporate sponsorship. Click here to download one-page pdf transcript.

Ethics Committee Nails Charles Rangel on NLPC-Exposed Caribbean Junket

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 22:15

Carib junket photo The House Ethics Committee has ruled that Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel violated the House gift rule by accepting travel to events in the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008.

NLPC was the source of the information on which the Committee acted. I attended the 2008 event in St. Maarten where I took photographs and made audio recordings of the event, demonstrating that it was paid for by Citigroup and other large corporations. These items were provided to the Ethics Committee in May 2009. Click here to download a 4-page pdf of our Complaint.

The Committee characterized its action as a “public admonishment” of Rangel, and is requiring that Rangel repay the cost of the trips. Click here to download a 3-page pdf of the Committee’s statement dated tomorrow.

Charlie Cook: Ethics Will Be Big Issue in 2010 House Races

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Mon, 11/30/2009 - 10:12

Pelosi and Murtha photo Political analyst Charlie Cook says that the scandals enveloping Reps. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and John Murtha (D-PA) threaten to increase losses for their party in next year’s election. He writes:

As House Democrats try to avert political disaster by limiting their 2010 losses to about 16 seats, the norm for post-World War II presidents' first midterm elections, dealing with their members' ethics problems may be one of their toughest tasks.

The task is tough because of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reluctance to move against either one, notwithstanding her promise to “drain the swamp” of Congressional corruption and to “create the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.”

NY Times: Rangel is “Gloomy”

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Mon, 11/23/2009 - 21:02

New York Times reporters Raymond Hernandez and Jim Rutenberg asserted yesterday:

There seems to be little joy in being Representative Charles B. Rangel these days…as an ethics investigation into his financial dealings continues, Mr. Rangel’s once-considerable clout is diminished and his spirits are often gloomy, friends and associates say, even as he begins to fight back.

Shouldn’t it be taxpayers who are gloomy as long as Rangel remains in office? Each new revelation about Rangel’s finances points to a pattern of corner cutting and corruption that has gone on for decades.

House Ethics Committee to Clear Rangel, Other Caribbean Junketeers?

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Thu, 11/05/2009 - 13:00

palm tree Paul Singer of Roll Call is reporting:

The House ethics committee is likely to exonerate five members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) who were accused of taking an improper trip to the Caribbean, according to sources familiar with the case.

If this is true, we are not surprised. When we provided photographs and audio recordings from the trip at the request of the Committee in May, we made clear that our willingness to do so was not an endorsement of the Ethics Committee process, which has again proven to be a joke.

Rangel Says Ethics Committee Has Not Asked About His Finances

Submitted by Peter Flaherty on Fri, 10/30/2009 - 11:14

The Washington Post reports today that staff members of the House Ethics Committee met with Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) in July and questioned him about a trip by Rangel and four other members of the Congressional Black Caucus to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. According to the Post:

Rangel said he has not been interviewed by the committee to discuss other elements of the investigation, which involve his personal finances and whether House resources were improperly used to raise funds for a college center named for him.

It was NLPC that exposed both the Caribbean junket and Rangel’s failure to disclose, or pay taxes on, rental income from his Dominican Republic “villa.” While we welcome the investigation of the junket, we believe that tax evasion is a serious matter, and that Rangel should be treated no differently than any other citizen.

Flaherty: Rangel Dirty Even After Coming Clean

Submitted by NLPC Staff on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 08:29

October 8, 2009- CNN's Anderson Cooper reports on the House Ethics Committee expansion of its investigation of House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY). Joining Cooper are CNN Senior Congressional Correspondents Dana Bash and Joe Johns, as well as NLPC President Peter Flaherty. Click here for 4-page pdf transcript.

NLPC Staff's blog