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.
A congressional source familiar with the findings but not authorized to be quoted by name said at least four of members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the trips in 2007 and 2008 have been exonerated.
Last year the House ethics committee expanded its investigation of Rangel to include his revisions to financial statements that revealed assets and income not previously reported.
Earlier the Harlem Democrat had withstood a GOP sponsored resolution that called for Rangel to to surrender his chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
Poor Charlie. First he gets ignored by Obama, then this.
The NRCC is quick to point out Nancy Pelosi's pledge to end the culture of corruption in Washington:
"Our goal is to restore accountability, honesty and openness at all levels of government. To do so, we will create and enforce rules that demand the highest ethics from every public servant, sever unethical ties between lawmakers and lobbyists, and establish clear standards that prevent the trading of official business for gifts." (Nancy Pelosi’s “A New Direction for America,” Page 21)
