Democrats, why so silent about this?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/24/rangel-democrats-wary_n_658092.html
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33550.html
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=14B3A8C8-18FE-70B2-A83D3FC21A7323B1
With some House insiders suggesting the Rangel probe had already bogged down in a partisan stalemate, the latest announcement by the ethics committee means that Rangel may face weeks, or even months, of added scrutiny.
Under House ethics committee rules, investigative subcommittees, which have subpoena power, must approve by a majority vote any finding of an alleged ethic violation. The full ethics committee would then have to take final action on the matter.
The ethics committee first voted on Sept. 24, at Rangel’s request, to create an investigative subcommittee to look into the New York Democrat’s personal finances, including his use of rent-stabilized apartments in a luxury Harlem building, his failure to fully pay taxes on a resort home in the Dominican Republic and his use of official House stationery to solicit potential donors for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service in New York.
It's a particularly vexing situation for New York Democrats, who know Rangel well and have benefited for years from his campaign contributions and his advocacy for the state – particularly on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which he chaired before stepping down from the post last March.
To criticize Rangel would look politically expedient for these Democrats and could risk the ire of the Congressional Black Caucus and the many influential black activists in New York. But staying silent leaves them vulnerable to Republican charges that the party is not sufficiently tough on the ethical lapses of its members.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/24/rangel-democrats-wary_n_658092.html
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33550.html
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=14B3A8C8-18FE-70B2-A83D3FC21A7323B1
With some House insiders suggesting the Rangel probe had already bogged down in a partisan stalemate, the latest announcement by the ethics committee means that Rangel may face weeks, or even months, of added scrutiny.
Under House ethics committee rules, investigative subcommittees, which have subpoena power, must approve by a majority vote any finding of an alleged ethic violation. The full ethics committee would then have to take final action on the matter.
The ethics committee first voted on Sept. 24, at Rangel’s request, to create an investigative subcommittee to look into the New York Democrat’s personal finances, including his use of rent-stabilized apartments in a luxury Harlem building, his failure to fully pay taxes on a resort home in the Dominican Republic and his use of official House stationery to solicit potential donors for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service in New York.
It's a particularly vexing situation for New York Democrats, who know Rangel well and have benefited for years from his campaign contributions and his advocacy for the state – particularly on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which he chaired before stepping down from the post last March.
To criticize Rangel would look politically expedient for these Democrats and could risk the ire of the Congressional Black Caucus and the many influential black activists in New York. But staying silent leaves them vulnerable to Republican charges that the party is not sufficiently tough on the ethical lapses of its members.