"Rangel seeks plea agreement to avoid ethics trial
WASHINGTON — Representative Charles Rangel attempted a last-minute plea deal yesterday to head off a House ethics trial that could embarrass him and damage Democrats facing potentially severe election losses....
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Related: Democrats Sacrifice Rangel For November Races
"Panel lodges ethics charges against Rangel; Some deemed ‘very serious’; stage is set for Sept. trial" by Paul Kane, Washington Post | July 30, 2010
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee formally unveiled charges yesterday against Representative Charles Rangel after efforts to reach a settlement apparently fell short, setting the stage for a potentially historic trial of the 20-term congressman....
The session set the stage for a committee trial, expected to be held in September. Democrats had hoped to avoid such a public confrontation as November elections approach. It can be avoided only if Rangel admits to substantial violations or resigns.
Upon leaving the House floor, Rangel told reporters that he had no knowledge of a deal, an arrangement that would have required the agreement of GOP lawmakers.
With his 40-year congressional legacy hanging in the balance, lawyers for the former chairman of the Ways and Means Committee negotiated with the nonpartisan lawyers for the committee until late Wednesday and continued the discussions yesterday morning, hoping to reach a settlement.
In any case, Rangel faced an ignominious day....
One of the five longest-serving lawmakers in the House, Rangel — who cofounded the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971 — has gone from a beloved figure in his caucus to a political pariah.
The investigative subcommittee looked into allegations, at Rangel’s request after published reports, that he inappropriately lived in rent-controlled apartments in Harlem; did not pay taxes properly on a villa in the Dominican Republic; shielded hundreds of thousands dollars in personal assets by not properly disclosing them on his annual forms; and specifically, the investigative subcommittee alleged that Rangel broke multiple House rules in his efforts to create and fund the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York, including provisions governing gifts to members and use of official resources for unofficial activities. The inquiry alleged that Rangel frequently solicited donations from lobbyists and companies with interests before the Ways and Means Committee.
Like who, Globe?
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Sigh:
"Those getting Rangel solicitation letters included several corporate-affiliated charities, including those tied to Verizon, AT&T, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bristol-Meyes Squibb, and Wachovia, among others. "
Also see: The Wachovia Washing Machine
Hop in because I sure am feeling dirty.
"Ousted USDA employee plans to sue blogger
Ousted Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod said yesterday that she will sue a conservative blogger who posted a video edited in a way that made her appear racist....
Speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in San Diego, Sherrod said she would definitely sue over the video, saying that it took her remarks out of context.
But they were YOUR WORDS, right?
So when is SOMEONE going to SUE the LYING, WAR-PROMOTING AmeriKan MSM?
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has since offered Sherrod a new job in the department. She has not decided whether to accept....
I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for a decision.
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Related: Matters of Black and White
Also see: Memory Hole: Wilkerson Wimps Out
