A House ethics report charges that Rep. Charles Rangel, an iconic New York powerbroker, broke the chamber's rules by abusing his office for personal gain, raising the possibility that he could be punished by — or even expelled from — the House. The panel's "statement of alleged violations" reports that there is "substantial reason to believe" that the 40-year House veteran violated a series of 13 ethics and federal regulations on public officials. "We must regain the public's trust," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the lead Republican on the ethics subcommittee "jury" hearing the case. "
The headliner allegations are that he improperly solicited money from corporate officials and lobbyists for the Charles B. Rangel Public Policy Center in New York, that he failed to disclose hundreds of dollars of income and assets on financial disclosure forms, that he maintained multiple rent-stabilized apartments in violation of New York City rules and failed to pay income taxes on a Dominican island resort home. McCaul said that, if proven, the allegations amounted to "multiple violations of House rules and federal statutes."
Gene Green, the top Democrat on the investigating subcommittee, said the committee had sent out 160 formal requests for documents, reviewed 28,000 pages of documents, held 60 meetings, deposed Rangel on Dec. 15, 2009, and met twice more with him.
Rangel, who lost his Ways and Means Committee gavel after an adverse ethics finding earlier this year, was unable to strike the equivalent of a plea deal with the ethics committee despite months of negotiations over the more serious charges. "I'm not involved in a deal," Rangel said just off the House floor Thursday.
But he insisted the committee had not charged him with corruption.
"There's no inference of corruption" in the charges that will be unveiled before the ethics committee, Rangel said as he left the House floor. He said he "would welcome the opportunity" to address the panel.
Now, in the congressional version of a trial, the lawmakers who investigated Rangel and the committee's staff lawyers will make the case that he broke the rules and should be punished by the House. Sitting in judgment is a second team of lawmakers — an "adjudicatory" subcommittee. The trial started Thursday with an "opening session" dedicated to remarks by the team of prosecutors and Rangel's defense team. The subcommittee will determine whether the charges against Rangel should be upheld. If so, the committee will recommend to the House whether Rangel should be reprimanded, censured or expelled from the House.
Even if the charges are proven at the trial, Rangel will have the right to a hearing in which he can argue for lesser sanctions.
Rangel and his Democratic colleagues have a lot riding not only on the outcome but on the conduct and length of the trial. Repbulicans have made clear they intend to turn Rangel into a campaign issue in districts across the country, tying past recipients of his campaign fundraising help to his ethics troubles and turning the allegations against him into an argument that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has not done enough to "drain the swamp" in Washington.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) contended, instead, that the House ethics process is "working well."He and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have avoided extended public comment on the Rangel situation, which threatens to open up a rift between politically vulnerable Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus.
Four Democrats in tough swing districts — Reps. Betty Sutton of Ohio, Walt Minnick of Idaho, Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania and Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona — called for Rangel to quit immediately or if the charges are found to be accurate before the release of the report.
But several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Chairwoman Barbara Lee, have said Rangel deserves an opportunity to defend himself against the charges just like anyone accused of a crime in the world outside Congress.