Rangel Had Talks to Settle Ethics Cases and Avoid Trial
By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI and ERIC LIPTON
View attachment 457
Representative Charles B. Rangel and the House ethics committee have been exploring a settlement to the numerous accusations against him, which would allow the 20-term congressman to avoid an ugly public trial and could prevent further political damage to Democrats nationally.
Talks broke down on Thursday after more than a month, according to lawyers involved in the negotiations, prompting the usually secretive committee to begin the process to hold rare public proceedings on ethics charges against a member.
In interviews on Friday, the lawyers described the negotiations as contentious and said that a defiant Mr. Rangel continued to frustrate committee members with his unwillingness to admit wrongdoing in connection with several of the accusations against him. But they also said they were open to reaching a deal.
For two years, committee members have been examining, among other charges, Mr. Rangel’s failure to report income from a villa in the Dominican Republic, his acceptance of four rent-stabilized apartments and his use of his office to preserve a loophole for an oil company executive who pledged a $1 million donation for a new public policy center to be named for him.
On Thursday, the committee, officially called the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, announced that there was evidence to substantiate those accusations, but it declined to provide detail.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/24/nyregion/24rangel.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
The Most Ethical Congress Ever My Ass!
By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI and ERIC LIPTON
View attachment 457
Representative Charles B. Rangel and the House ethics committee have been exploring a settlement to the numerous accusations against him, which would allow the 20-term congressman to avoid an ugly public trial and could prevent further political damage to Democrats nationally.
Talks broke down on Thursday after more than a month, according to lawyers involved in the negotiations, prompting the usually secretive committee to begin the process to hold rare public proceedings on ethics charges against a member.
In interviews on Friday, the lawyers described the negotiations as contentious and said that a defiant Mr. Rangel continued to frustrate committee members with his unwillingness to admit wrongdoing in connection with several of the accusations against him. But they also said they were open to reaching a deal.
For two years, committee members have been examining, among other charges, Mr. Rangel’s failure to report income from a villa in the Dominican Republic, his acceptance of four rent-stabilized apartments and his use of his office to preserve a loophole for an oil company executive who pledged a $1 million donation for a new public policy center to be named for him.
On Thursday, the committee, officially called the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, announced that there was evidence to substantiate those accusations, but it declined to provide detail.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/24/nyregion/24rangel.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
The Most Ethical Congress Ever My Ass!