Ethics Panel: Censure for Rangel
The Hill reports:
The House ethics committee's chief counsel recommended Thursday that Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) be formally censured by the full House for 11 counts of violating ethics rules.
Short of expulsion, censure is the most serious sanction the ethics panel can recommend. A majority of the full House would have to vote to censure Rangel should the ethics committee officially recommend that punishment.
"I respectfully submit that this committee should ... recommend that respondent be censured by the House," Blake Chisam, the chief counsel, said at a hearing on Thursday.
A majority vote on censure by the full ethics committee would be required to send the recommendation to the full House. In the 43-year history of the ethics committee, only four members have been censured.
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) argued for a lighter punishment than censure and reminded the committee that Rangel received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his heroism in the Korean War.
“The facts of the case do not, do not warrant a censure in my opinion,” he said. “Even counsel has acknowledged that deciding punishment is difficult in this case. Censure is extreme and should be restricted to personal conduct in which the [lawmaker] received personal gain.”
Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) cautioned his colleagues that punishing Rangel will bring more scrutiny to each and every member of Congress and the political donations they receive from corporations and individuals.
“Where you draw the line is in the eye of the beholder,” he said.
Welch then gave Rangel an opportunity to make a final comment about the matter to his constituents.
An emotional Rangel paused for several seconds before responding.
He thanked Welch for the “awkward opportunity” and thanked God for “what he has given me.”
“I don’t know how much longer I have to live … so I’ve tried to help people and I thank God for what he has given to me,” he remarked.
He apologized to the panel for any embarrassment he has caused and again stressed that he would like the panel to acknowledge that he never sought any personal gain and is not corrupt. Rangel also lashed out at the press.
“What the press has done to me and my family is totally unfair and they will continue to call me a crook and call me corrupt,” he said.
Click here to read more.
