Pelosi Promises To Keep Charlie Rangel

From the New York Post:

PELOSI ‘PLEDGE’ TO KEEP RANGEL

By DAPHNE RETTER in Washington and DAVID SEIFMAN in New York

December 3, 2008

Rep. Charles Rangel said yesterday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised him he will keep his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee as long as he wants - even though investigators haven’t completed their report on ethical allegations facing the Harlem Democrat.

“She told me I am her chairman of the Ways and Means Committee as long as I want to be,” Rangel boasted to reporters at a ribbon-cutting for the new East Harlem School.

The surprising comments came as other members of Congress raised questions about whether Pelosi had improperly communicated with the House Ethics Committee despite strict rules against such contact.

Pelosi said in a press release last week that she “had been assured the report will be completed by the end of this session of Congress,” despite rules baring the ethics panel or any staff for the panel from discussing an ongoing investigation.

Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) sent Pelosi a letter yesterday asking her to explain her actions.

“It is imperative that you address immediately the very real questions this incident raises about whether your office has sought to improperly influence the conduct, scope, timing or any other aspect of an ongoing House ethics investigation,” Carter wrote.

Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said, “The speaker is relying on assurance from her staff that the Ethics Committee, as it has in the past, will try to complete its work by the end of” the current session of Congress.”

In Manhattan Monday night, Pelosi was asked if Rangel would keep his chairmanship and she said “that’s up to [House] Ethics,” before adding, “He’ll be OK.”

Rangel is being probed for failing to pay taxes and disclose income from a vacation home in the Dominican Republic, using his congressional letterhead to lure donors to his namesake educational institution in Harlem and for having four rent-stabilized apartments there.

It was ever thus.

Republicans must step down at even the appearance of impropriety.

For instance, if Pelosi were a Republican she would probably be forced out of office for improperly contacting the Ethics Committee.

But Democrats always get a free pass — and often a promotion — no matter how egregious or numerous their offences.

Of course this might not happen if we had a real watchdog media, instead of a one party media.

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