Charlie Rangel

Mark Hemingway reports:

At least 27 Democratic members of the House of Representatives have sent to charities $378,000 in campaign donations from scandal-plagued Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., since Feb. 28.

Following an admonishment by the House Ethics Committee, Charlie Rangel has taken a (supposedly) temporary leave of absence as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Rangel's successor, Pete Stark, has been investigated for an ethics violation as well and also has a history of bizarre, inflammatory outbursts. Politico reported earlier this week on an ethics investigation of Stark:

Whatever happened to "draining the swamp" in Washington? Nancy Pelosi is sticking with Charlie Rangel:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters today that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), the chair of the Ways and Means Committee, did not violate House rules by accepting two trips to the Caribbean that were paid for by corporations.

But last night, the House Ethics Committee released an official report admonishing Rangel for taking the junkets and finding that he did, in fact, violate House rules.

"What I understand -- and I haven't seen the report ... [is] that he did not violate the rules of the House and I think that's an important statement," Pelosi said.

The ethics committee "said this press release shall stand as the admonishment of him," she went on. "They did not take action against him. They just said he did not willfully break the rules."

NBC reports:

The House ethics committee has concluded that Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel knowingly accepted Caribbean trips in violation of House rules that forbid hidden financing by corporations, the AP has learned.