Rep. Jo Bonner, Alabama Republican, tore into Rep. Charlie Rangel, New York Democrat, on Thursday with remarks made by the Alabama GOP’er regarding Mr. Rangel’s ethics committee violations. Mr. Bonner, the ranking member of the House Ethics Committee, excoriated the New York Democrat for making excuses over the the 11 ethics counts Mr. Rangel was found guilty of on Wednesday. The committee recommended on a 9 -1 vote that Rep. Rangel be censured and pay back taxes. The sanctions for Mr. Rangel, who wept at the hearing, will be voted on by all House members at a later time. Here are some excerpts from the video above:
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“Now I don’t pretend to speak for Mr. Rangel’s constituents; they have reelected him, often without opposition - more times than many of the members of Congress have actually been alive.
Sadly, Madame Chair, it is my unwavering view that the actions, decisions and behavior of our colleague from New York can no longer reflect either honor or integrity.
As I noted earlier, I can’t speak for the people in Mr. Rangel’s district, but, I do know this:
For the tenants that qualified for the rent stabilized apartment in New York or any American city, but couldn’t get one because a powerful man had four - there’s something wrong with that. For the small business woman who didn’t pay her taxes for seventeen years, and had the IRS breathing down her back, I can only imagine how she would have liked to have had the chance to help write the tax code of this country and make it less burdensome and simpler for everyone else.
And for the still relatively new member of Congress, from California, who just a couple of years ago questioned whether or not it was appropriate to be building a monument to me, I will never forget the arrogance of the response. I was on the floor that day. ” I would have a problem if you did it,” Mr. Rangel said to Campbell on the House Floor on July 19, 2007, because I don’t think you’ve been around long enough to have your name on something to inspire a building like this.”
