WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee brought 13 charges of violations against Representative Charles Rangel on Thursday, laying the groundwork for a public trial that some say could bring an end to the embattled congressman's career.
The panel laid out its findings in a 41-page Statement of Alleged Violation at the Capitol in the committee's first open organizational meeting on the controversial subject. Among the charges Rangel faces are falsely disclosing his personal assets, failing to pay federal income taxes on a vacation property, renting rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem at rates far below market value, and abusing franking privileges to solicit donations from potential donors for an eponymous building at the City College of New York.
"We live in a time when public skepticism about the institutions in our country is very high," Ethics Committee chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said. "It has been the goal of our Ethics Committee throughout this Congress to, by our actions, rebuild and earn trust by the public and our colleagues."
The release of this report has been a long time coming—a 21-month investigation began, ironically, when Rangel himself asked the Ethics Committee to investigate a host of accusations that had been made about his conduct.
Within the Ethics Committee, a four-member subcommittee began its nearly two-year investigation into these allegations. The investigative subcommittee released its Statement of Violation to the Committee several days ago, and a separate, bipartisan panel—called an adjudicatory subcommittee—was immediately launched to review and determine whether any counts in the Statement of Alleged Violation are supported by evidence. If it finds that any of the counts have been proven, it will report it to the full Ethics Committee, which will then recommend possible sanctions to the full House.
"I take this responsibility very seriously—we've been visited by 13 very serious allegations related to Mr. Rangel's conduct," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), a member of the adjudicatory committee, said. "The committee has not held a public hearing like this since 2002," he said, referring to the 2002 trial concerning ethics charges against former Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio), who was ultimately expelled from Congress.
Reps. Gene Green (D-Texas) and Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), who led the investigatory subcommittee as chair and ranking member, laid out the charges today before Lofgren and the rest of the committee, harping on the difficulties they faced in investigating the scandal-fraught career of their own peer.
"One of the most difficult tasks assigned to a member of Congress is to sit in judgment of a colleague," Green said. "The task is even more difficult when the subject has befriended and mentored so many new members, and I'm one of them."
By disclosing the allegations before a slew of reporters, the committee signaled a shift from what had been pure media speculation to a far clearer picture of the recent discussions and agreements—or lack thereof—between Rangel and the committee.
"To say Mr. Rangel and his attorneys were unaware of the work of the subcommittee would be incorrect," Green said.
Recent reports had suggested that Rangel and his lawyers were coming close to settling the case in order to avoid the embarrassment of a public trial. But on Thursday, committee members said that no such deal was made.
"There has been talk in the media about Mr. Rangel negotiating a settlement. Let me be clear that Mr. Rangel was given opportunities to negotiate," McCaul said. "We are now in the trial phase."
This phase will culminate with a public hearing in September, coinciding with campaign season for the November midterm elections. This has become increasingly problematic for Democrats up for reelection, particularly freshman Democrats, who worry that party association with Rangel will limit their chances of reelection. Republicans have honed in on the issue in an attempt to portray Democrats as part of a culture of corruption, much as Democrats did to Republicans in 2006 when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) vowed to "drain the swamp."
But Ethics Committee members took pains to emphasize that this issue should not be debated along party lines, especially because the committee is the only evenly divided one in Congress, with five Democrats and five Republicans.
"This is truly a sad day where no one, regardless of their partisan stripes, should rejoice," Bonner said.
Mounting pressure has been placed on Rangel recently to resign, but Rangel remains adamant that he will stay in the race. This attitude has been a constant in Rangel's approach since the legal inquiries were first publicized. In early March, he announced that he was temporarily stepping down from his post as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee after the Ethics Committee formally admonished him for nearly the same allegations that the investigative subcommittee just brought against him—but that did not deter him.
Until recently, there still remained the possibility that he would be able to win back his former chairmanship. But many are now saying that it would be impossible for him to do so, especially if he were to strike a plea bargain with the Ethics Committee. This may help explain why negotiations have all but broken down.
“Based on what Rangel has delivered to the people, the people in the district are going to reward him, and I believe anyone who runs against him is going to lose," Kevin Wardally—senior vice president for political and government affairs for Bill Lynch Associates, which is in charge of Rangel’s campaign—told Spectator after the committee's formal admonishment.
And the concept of resignation is not as simple as it may seem, some say. Though politicos have been calling on Rangel to step down, many in his district continue to back him. As a 40-year House veteran who has represented Harlem since 1971, Rangel is known for his long and deep-rooted ties to his constituents.
"I've been friends with Charlie, traveled the world with him, and if there's one thing I know about him, it's that he lives and breathes for his people back home," said a congressman he has worked with over the years, who declined to give his name because of what he says is the sensitivity of the situation. "His people will never forget what he's done for him, and they'll continue to support him through and through."
kim.kirschenbaum@columbiaspectator.com
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