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2008-09-16 Home Front: Politix

Pelosi Pushes Rangel to Step Down From Committee Chair

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday privately pushed Rep. Charlie Rangel to give up his chairmanship of the influential House tax-rules committee amid explosive revelations that his personal tax filings were riddled with errors and omissions, a well placed source said.

San Fran Nan has been taking lessons from The One on how to flip-flop ...

Rangel, the Democratic chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, has been resisting growing calls to step down from the high-profile leadership role since The Post reported the Harlem congressman failed to disclose rental income from his Dominican Republic beach home.

Rangel subsequently admitted owing at least $10,000 in back taxes and became a target of Republican political attacks.

One member of the New York congressional delegation who supported Pelosi's decision said, "You have to have one standard - you can't have one for [Republicans] and one for us."

Rangel himself remained mum on his sitdown with Pelosi after exiting a later, separate meeting with fellow Democratic committee members. "I am unable to say anything," he said before bizarrely rattling off his name, rank and serial number from his Korean War days. "Do to me what you want, I'm not talking."

The 76-year-old politician smiled when asked if he was still chairman of the powerful tax panel.

Pelosi later denied through spokesperson Nadeam Elshami that she has asked Rangel to step aside. And a committee member, Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), asked if Rangel was still in charge, replied, "You're damn right he's the chairman."

But in an indication that Rangel may have to fight to keep his position, he scheduled an emergency meeting with the New York delegation today, a source said.

Meanwhile, Rangel was still using his leadership position as an inspirational tale for kids at Harlem's Democracy Prep Charter School yesterday. "It was that education that took a 23-year-old high-school dropout to the Ways and Means Committee," he said.

Rangel's lawyer said the congressman would hire a forensic accountant to review his tax filings over the past 20 years. He also may have to account for why he didn't properly disclose the sale of a Washington, DC, home in 2000, the various values he placed on his former Sunny Isles, Fla., condo, and the wild fluctuations he recorded for his personal investments.

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-09-16 11:13|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ] Top

#1 Keep playing dumb, Charlie. You've been here before. This'll blow over like it always does. And your idiot constituents will keep voting you in til the day you die.

Posted by tu3031 2008-09-16 11:39|| 2008-09-16 11:39|| Front Page Top

#2 So Nancy, how's that Culture of Corruption(c) thingy going?

(c)Nancy Pelosi 2006

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-09-16 12:26|| 2008-09-16 12:26|| Front Page Top

#3 He's the new poster boy. Here he is in his Teddy pose.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-09-16 12:55|| 2008-09-16 12:55|| Front Page Top

#4 Seems like just yesterday NP was NOT advocating his stepping down. Bus must've been in the shop getting the chassis greased up. Or sumpin'.

Posted by USN, Ret. 2008-09-16 13:27|| 2008-09-16 13:27|| Front Page Top

#5 Rangel told Nancy to go pound sand: Rangel Refuses to Step Down as Ways & Means Committee Chair.

Posted by Mike 2008-09-16 14:35|| 2008-09-16 14:35|| Front Page Top

#6 Charlie should hire me...

Mr. Rangel believes, I believe and his colleagues believe that making inadvertent errors with no intention to conceal, no personal enrichment and no corruption of the public trust, is not disqualifying. He is prepared to let his constituents make the final judgment on his fitness to serve. Whatever the facts are, he has not dishonored the House, he has not dishonored himself he has not done anything intentionally wrong.

Posted by tu3031 2008-09-16 15:03|| 2008-09-16 15:03|| Front Page Top

#7 So Trent Lott says some kind words to Thurman on is 98th birthday, and gets run out of his postion as majority leader.
This guy (Rangel) is a proven (if unconvicted) tax cheating CROOK, and there is some "debate" that he is being "asked" to step down? WTF? I wonder what will happen to me if I should forget to mention several tens of thousands of rental property income - anyone? Think I'll be visited by anyone federal?

Posted by Rob06">Rob06 2008-09-16 15:48|| 2008-09-16 15:48|| Front Page Top

#8 Jeesh, how often do I have to keep reminding you guys? DEMOCRAT=CRIMINAL. That's it. That's all there is. That's all there ever is. Anybody who votes Democrat or serves in any government organization as a Democrat Party member is a criminal. They support criminality, they aid criminality, they commit crimes if they can get anywhere near a position where they have the opportunity. That's what Democrats do. This business with Rangel isn't news, just as the business with "Cold Cash" or Sandy Burglar or Whitewater or Marc Rich or the exotic labor provisions of Saipan and American Samoa aren't news. It's Democrat criminality. Dog bites man is more original than this.

Posted by Jolutch Mussolini7800 2008-09-16 17:20|| 2008-09-16 17:20|| Front Page Top

#9 The difference between the GOP and the Donks - the GOP takes out their own garbage.

Posted by DMFD 2008-09-16 18:08|| 2008-09-16 18:08|| Front Page Top

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