Rangel Walks Out on Ethics Hearing

I'm not watching.  Has he pulled the race card yet?

Embattled Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel startled the House subcommittee weighing ethics charges against him Monday by announcing that he was "excusing myself from these proceedings" - and walking out.


"I respectfully remove myself from these hearings," the 80-year-old Rangel said with a dramatic flourish before departing.

Despite having had months to prepare for the hearing, Rangel showed up without a lawyer and claimed he was too broke to hire one.

"I don't think it's fair," Rangel said, claiming he had already spent $2 million on lawyers and needed time to raise another $1 million to retain new counsel for the hearing.

Charles Rangel and the Harlem Tax Revolt of '09

Congressman Charles Rangel seems to be having trouble with his taxes. The thing is, he's the chairman of the committee responsible for writing the tax laws. If the tax code is too confusing for him, what hope to the rest of us have?

Rangel Wants to Bring Back the Draft

Anyone reckon Obama will sign off on this?

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) likely will introduce his controversial legislation to reinstate the draft again this year, but he will wait until after the economic stimulus package is passed.

Asked if he plans to introduce the legislation again in 2009, Rangel last week said, “Probably … yes. I don’t want to do anything this early to distract from the issue of the economic stimulus.”

Rangel’s military draft bill did create a distraction for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) soon after Democrats won control of Congress after the 2006 election.

In the wake of that historic victory, Pelosi said publicly that she did not support the draft and that the Democratic leadership would not back Rangel’s legislation. She also said Rangel’s legislation was not about reinstating the draft but was instead “a way to make a point” about social inequality.

Reintroducing the military draft bill, which would attract media attention, will be trickier for Rangel in 2009 than it was a couple years ago because the Ways and Means Committee chairman is now under investigation by the House ethics committee.

RANGEL CALLS PALIN "DISABLED"...THEN HE SAYS HE DOESN'T MEAN IT

Here's the woman hater being "downright mean"...



And here he is apologizing...

Later Friday, Rangel issued a statement saying "disabled" wasn't the word he meant to use.

"Governor Palin is an obviously healthy person who in no way fits the description of disabled. I meant to say then, and I am saying now, that she entered the campaign with a disadvantage in the area of foreign policy," Rangel said in a statement.

"Any inference that my words were in any connected to her son, Trig, who was born with Down syndrome, is a real stretch -- and, I would have to think -- a way to make political points out of my poor choice of words," he added.

Republicans think Rangel's comments are insulting as well as shocking.

"Charlie Rangel's comments are clearly disgraceful," Rep. Peter King, R-Long Island, said. "This is just another liberal Democrat who can't accept an independent woman running for president."

No take backs Charlie...No take backs. Why do liberals hate America? Why?