Ethics panel finds Charlie Rangel guilty of ethics violations

Tax Cheat

The House ethics committee has been investigating Charlie Rangel and his trips to the Caribbean for possible gift violations. This is only one of the possible ethics violations that Charlie Rangel may have committed; he has committed an ethics violation for living in and running a campaign headquarters out of a rent controlled apartment, he has also possibly been evading paying taxes on a rental property in the Dominican Republic when he didn’t report $75,000 in income,  and he was foced to amend his prior tax returns because he “forgot” about another $1 million in income; he didn’t bother to amend these tax returns until an investigation was opened up into his shady dealings. Considering that Charlie Rangel is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee– the committee that writes the tax laws– I find these “oversights” as very concerning to say the least.

  But the ethics panel has been investigating Charlie Rangel for only the first offense that I mentioned– his possible illegal gift vacations to the Caribbean– and today they found him guilty.

  The Associated Press has learned that the House ethics committee has concluded that Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel knowingly accepted Caribbean trips in violation of House rules that forbid hidden financing by corporations.

  I have stated in the past that Charlie Rangel should resign as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee until after the investigation was completed, but he refused to do so and nobody in congress decided to push the issue. With this news that the ethics committee has found Charlie Rangel guilty of KNOWINGLY accepting the Carribean trips as illegal gifts there can no longer be any doubt that Charlie Rangel should resign as the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and probably should resign from the House of Representatives also– effective immediately!

  It will be interesting to see who calls for his resignation and who comes to his defense, we will be watching. How can the man who writes the tax laws that WE are forced to follow be allowed to remain in office when HE knowingly violated those same laws?

  During the 2008 election, the Democrats promised to run the most open and honest administration in history; if we are to take the Democrats seriously on this pledge, they must call for and receive the resignation of Charlie Rangel. Any less than that would breaking a major campaign promise. After the honesty the Democrats promised to bring to Washington they have no choice– Charlie Rangel must go!