Bank Robber Rangel Ignores Calls To Get Out

Jillian Bandes | October 07, 2009 2:49 PM

A few minutes ago, a Republican measure failed to pass the Democrat-controlled House which would call for Charlie Rangel's resignation. Here are the allegations against Charlie Rangel's the House Ethics Committee is currently considering:

failure to report tens of thousands of dollars in rental income
failure to pay taxes on beachfront property
failure to report accurate residency, utilizing a string of NYC rent-subsidized apartments for business purposes while reporting DC as the actual location of his business
the illegal use of congressional stationary for personal campaign donations
some other shady stuff that no one's even sure about

Now it's true that none of this has formally been proved. But the case looks pretty solid. And it's not just a few things. It's a lot. And Rangel has utterly refused to address any of it -- the most he's said is that he is "disappointed" in one of the Republicans who are criticizing him!

That's not good enough for someone who chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee. This is the guy who literally holds the purse strings of America. He should explain something, or get out. And Democrats who refused to vote for Rangel's censure should explain themselves, too.