The good-government officials say they are astounded by Rangel's (D-N.Y.) disclosure last week of at least $650,000 in assets that he previously had failed to list on his House financial disclosure forms. And they are frustrated that the House ethics committee has not issued findings on Rangel, who requested that the panel investigate him in July 2008. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in November 2008 that she expected the probe to be completed in January 2009.The disclosure records normally are due in May, but Rangel, who chairs the powerful Ways and Means panel, filed an extension and then decided to amend previous-year reports and filed those changes in August, when news is usually slow and lawmakers are out of town.
Some in the watchdog community are tired of waiting for the ethics committee.
"Appointing a special counsel is a step the committee could and should take," said Lisa Gilbert, democracy advocate for U.S. PIRG. "There really couldn't be a situation where there is a more overt case for doing so than with Rangel ... it's that serious and far-ranging."
| They lost the PIRGs? I didn't realize that was possible. |