House of Representatives censures Rep. Rangel over ethics violations

[News_Editor]

House of Representatives censures Rep. Rangel over ethics violations

2010-12-03 08:28:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON D.C.(BNO NEWS) -- The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted 333-79 to censure Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, who was found guilty on multiple counts of ethics violation last November.

Rangel was the 23rd member of the House to be censored after being discovered a series of rules infractions that included 17 years of unpaid taxes of a property in Dominican Republic, and inappropriately raising millions of dollars from corporations related to his committee for a NYC college and having more than half a million dollars in undisclosed financial assets.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi read the resolution that rebuked Rangel in front of the entire chamber. Censure represents the second highest form of congressional punishment. The former Harlem Representative would also be required to pay restitution for his unpaid taxes.

After the public rebuke was read, Rangel asked for minute to address the chamber. "I know in my heart I am not going to be judged by this Congress. I'll be judged by my life in its entirety."

Rangel launched a campaign requesting House members a more lenient punishment such as a reprimand. His office released a list of ten reasons to justify reprimand as a more suitable punishment.

He also called on his 25,000 supporters to call the House and urge their representatives to show mercy. Several dozen of his closest friends proposed an amendment to reduce the sanction to reprimand but only received 146 votes.

"He knows he messed up. He knows he will be punished," Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Virginia, said. "We just ask that he be punished like everybody else. There is no precedent for censure in this case."

The Ethics Committee said that the punishment would serve as an example of a higher standard that is necessary in the House in order to restore the citizens’ trust in the Congress as well as keeping credibility before the American people.

The 80-year-old politician was found guilty by a special eight-member panel for violating House ethics on 11 of the 13 charges. The panel found the evidence clear and convincing after a two-year investigation by the House ethics committee into his personal finances.

Rangel was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1970 to represent Harlem, New York. The U.S. Representative was formally charged in July, and after resisting calls to leave Congress, won re-election this month.

On November 18, the House ethics committee voted 9 to 1 to recommend to censure Rangel. The ethics committee, consisting of five Republicans and five Democrats, went into a closed doors deliberation on the punishment for Rangel's violations. The deliberation lasted about four hours.

Earlier that day, Rep. Rangel appeared before the committee to defend himself. He admitted wrongdoing as well as irresponsible behavior in relation to the House rules but he denied being corrupt or seeking personal enrichment.

"There can be no excuse for my acts of omission," Rangel said. "I've failed in carrying out my responsibilities. I made numerous mistakes. But corruption and personal enrichment are certainly not part of my mistakes."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-12-03

[el jefe]

He's one of the worst of the US congressmen. If this was an ordinary citizen he would be in jail for his "ethics violations". By only "censuring" him, it shows how many other US politicians are probably in the same boat. Doesn't say much for US politicians and I'm an American.

[H2oDunc]

How can any of these two faced, hypocritical, lying, unethical representatives censure anybody after the wikileaks has shown them all to be total and utter liars ?

No wonder there is calls from these people to hunt down and execute the leaker of these transcripts the same as Bin Laden. They really don't like the little people finding out just what they really think or do now do they ?

[koheesti]

How can any of these two faced, hypocritical, lying, unethical representatives censure anybody after the wikileaks has shown them all to be total and utter liars ?

No wonder there is calls from these people to hunt down and execute the leaker of these transcripts the same as Bin Laden. They really don't like the little people finding out just what they really think or do now do they ?

I agree our Congress are scum but I don't think Wikileaks has leaked much - if anything - about them.