Rangel wrangles moolah for son.

by Ich bin Ala-awkbarph Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:30 am

politico.com ^ | December 4, 2008 | Luke Rosiak and Glenn Thrush

Between 2004 and 2007, Rep. Charles Rangel steered nearly $80,000 in campaign cash to an Internet company run by his son – paying lavishly for a pair of political Web sites so poorly designed an expert estimated one should have cost no more than $100 to create.

The payments are apparently legal under federal law, but their disclosure raises new questions about the Ways and Means chairman as he faces House ethics committee probes into his failure to pay taxes on rental income and his alleged use of House stationery to solicit contributions for a public policy center that bears his name.

Rangel’s leadership PAC and congressional committee shelled out $79,560 to Edisonian Innovative Works LLC for “websites,” according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Edisonian Innovative Works, which lists several clients on its homepage – none of them politicians — was founded by Rangel’s son, Steven Charles Rangel, 40, of Greenbelt, Md.

“This is probably legal but is definitely wrong,” said Meredith McGeehee of the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit organization that monitors compliance with electoral law.

“You're in a situation where you were given money for a campaign and it's being used to enrich family members,” she added. “The return argument is they're performing legitimate services. The question that needs to be asked in this case is: Was this a legitimate payment or was this a payoff?”

by Ich bin Ala-awkbarph Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:20 am

Rep. Charles Rangel's ethics inquiry may put Pelosi in a bind
Los Angeles Times ^ | December 8, 2008 | James Oliphant

[quote]Speaker Nancy Pelosi took stewardship of the House two years ago with a pledge to "drain the swamp" and clean up ethical abuses in Congress. Now an investigation of one of her party's best-known members is putting her in an uncomfortable spot. Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York is the subject of an investigation by a House ethics panel over his ownership of several rent-controlled apartments in New York, his failure to pay taxes on an offshore rental property, and his use of office letterhead to solicit donations for a public-policy school that would bear his name.[/quote]

sod, don't you think that in the spirit of bipartisanship that Rangel should be expelled from Congress? If not, did you support Randy Cunningham. as well?

by sodbuster Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:27 am

Sorry Terri I had to google randall cunningham because I was drawing a blank.

That was a tragic case, imo.

I think he just got to "running with a bad crowd", as my mother used to say.

I know it is a worn out phrase, but I think there really was a "culture of corruption" within the leadership of Congress during that time and it would have been easy to get caught up in it.

Sad to see that he has paid a bigger price than those who led and influenced him.

So based partly on that and partly on his record of service to the Country, I would support his efforts for an early release.

If you would like to join that effort, go to www.signonsandiego.com

by **ohio county** Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:38 am

There WAS a culture of corruption? Bill Jefferson is awaiting trial on criminal charges, Rangel is ethically challenged not just in the instance Terry (he spells his name with a 'y' now) posted to but failure to pay income taxes on rental income on his apartment in Punta Cana, the quid pro quo tax legislation for a contribution to the Charles Rangel School for Public Service, and his famous rent control fiasco in Harlem. Then there's Chris Dodd's sweetheart mortgage from Countrywide and Barney Frank's footprints in the Fannie/Mae Freddie Mac mess. You might want to clean out your own garage before you criticize somebody else's. The Duke can rot in prison.

by sodbuster Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:56 am

Well oc if I lived in New Orleans I would have voted for the Vietnamese-American guy.

And if the charges against Jefferson are true I am sure he will pay more of a price than just an election defeat.

Before you get your shorts in a wad, I was responding to a question from another poster what I thought about Randy Cunningham.

by **ohio county** Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:59 am

I know what you were talking about. You were talking about the culture of corruption under the republicans. I'm saying that culture is very much alive under the democrats. I like to get my shorts in a wad. At my age that's about all the excitement I get.

by **Stephanie** Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:19 am

I always find it very interesting how quick many Democrats are to forgive crimes by public officials in comparison to Republicans. I believe that Mr. Cunningham should serve every day of his very lenient sentence. He used his office for personal gain. He violated the law and the public trust. He was more concerned about his own personal wealth and power, and how much more wealth he could generate with his power, than the safety of our armed forces. This is particularly egregious because he was a member of the armed forces.

The Duke is where he belongs. Sort of like OJ is now.

by sodbuster Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:38 pm

"sod, don't you think that in the spirit of bipartisanship that Rangel should be expelled from Congress? If not, did you support Randy Cunningham. as well?"

Well Armon I don't believe Randy Cunningham was expelled, was he?

If I remember right, wasn't Tom DeLay in charge of ethics about that time?

I dont think even DeLay was expelled.

The republicans re-nominated him, if I remember right, and the Dems picked up that Texas seat.

Anyhow, it looks like Randy Cunningham has figured out there is more than one way to skin a cat.

So he is pretty likely to get out early, one way or the other.

You know how he must feel, since he is paying the price and the ones who led him astray are enjoying their lives of luxury footloose and fancy free.

I cant remember all this stuff; there is so much it is all running togethor in my mind.

I will try to look some of this stuff and get back to you ok.

http://www.citizensforethics.org/taxonomy/term/801

by **ohio county** Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:15 pm

No, he was not expelled. He tearfully resigned upon being convicted.

http://articles.latimes.com/2005/nov/29/local/me-duke29

I don't think DeLay was expelled either. Why do you say "even"? He was never convicted. In fact, it took clownish Ronnie Earle several attempts and well over a year to get the bogus indictment. Don't get me wrong: DeLay is a worm.

Nevertheless, he stepped aside. The seat was taken by Texas democrat re-tread Nick Lampson. Lampson lost the seat to republican Pete Olson.

You can register your support for Cunningham's pardon here:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/pardon-for-randy-duke-cunningham.html

Your signature will make you number 78 - an appropriately underwhelming show of support.

by **ohio county** Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:19 pm

Rangel has not even been indicted yet. But it stands to reason that a guy who cannot or will not file his federal income tax is unfit to make the rules for the rest of us.

by **Stephanie** Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:22 pm

ohio county wrote:Rangel has not even been indicted yet. But it stands to reason that a guy who cannot or will not file his federal income tax is unfit to make the rules for the rest of us.

That's it, Jimmy. I think we should all stop filing federal returns. When the IRS comes after us we can say it's Rangel's fault. Sort of like Willie Ayers gets a pass for his crimes because Lydon Johnson was a war mongering scum bag.

by **ohio county** Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:27 pm

I don't think any Speaker who cannot force an ethically-challenged committee chairman to sit out until he resolves his ethical problems can lay claim to the most ethical Congress. I suspect the most ethical Congress, whichever one it was, was still a swamp of avarice and greed.

by **Stephanie** Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:31 pm

Sadly, I must agree with you.

by ziggy Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:10 pm

ohio county wrote:I know what you were talking about. You were talking about the culture of corruption under the republicans. I'm saying that culture is very much alive under the democrats. I like to get my shorts in a wad. At my age that's about all the excitement I get.

by **Stephanie** Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:16 pm

I really think he should give stand-up a try.

by **ohio county** Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:28 pm

My shorts never get in a wad when I stand up. They tend more to slide down my butt.

by **Stephanie** Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:38 pm

That would probably be good for a laugh too! Razz

by **ohio county** Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:49 pm

Not for me. I have no idea what it looks like. That isn't my concern anymore.

by sodbuster Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:33 pm

"That's it, Jimmy. I think we should all stop filing federal returns. When the IRS comes after us we can say it's Rangel's fault."

Well Steph do you have info or knowledge that Rangel failed to file his income tax returns?

That is the first time I have heard that alledged.

by **Stephanie** Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:17 pm

I know that he failed to report $75,000 of rental income. I'm sure there's more to it than that, though. Do you want me to look into the details of his tax evasion and other crimes? Has he just been caught up with a bad crowd too?

by sodbuster Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:31 pm

I just thought maybe you had some breaking news.

by **Stephanie** Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:54 pm

Nah, tax evasion is tax evasion. I was just reading how the feds have a taped recording of Blago saying he was offered a cool million in cash by "an associate" of Jackson Jr. for that Senate seat and how "Triple J" had a 90 minute meeting with Blago the day before his arrest. I'm just sitting here speculating what else they might have on those tapes.

by Ich bin Ala-awkbarph Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:57 pm

ohio county wrote:My shorts never get in a wad when I stand up. They tend more to slide down my butt.

Forget getting Sandy Bergler's old job.

by **ohio county** Thu Dec 11, 2008 8:33 am

My socks stay up.

Rangel's various problems are well-known. Had Stephanie broken the news, Keli would have fixed it.

by sodbuster Thu Dec 11, 2008 7:43 pm

Well I am not sure what you mean.

I pay taxes, several thousand per year.

I imagine Rangel does too.

This bs about only republicans pay taxes is just that.

Matter of fact, I figure Rangel pays more tax than those who are giving him hail.

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