I was listening to the TV covering of Rangel’s mess and just couldn’t get it straight: what is all this talk about deal with ethics committee? Is he guilty or not? Did he do these things? ( he did, and more) Then he should be brought to court, made to return public & private money and sentenced according to law.
How come an ethics committee became a substitute for due legal process?
Why they have have an authority to forgive or punish crimes on behalf of the people? Isn’t it a violation of constitutional principles?
Talk about double standard.
This article lists 13 charges, including soliciting $millions (30, to be precise) from charitable foundations by financial giants like JPMorgan, AT&T and Donald Trump to benefit Rangel-named school of public policy (!) in return to setting preferential tax rates to these companies due to Rangel being a chairman of Ways and Means Committee. Another charge (already proven) is fraudulently keeping several rent-controlled apartments for himself. Another one – also proven – in not paying taxes on 6-figure incomes, plus “forgetting” to list his Dominican resort house as property on tax forms.
And this is all “ethics violations”? Well, you can say that – bu the same token a gang rape is an ethics violation. And any murder case waiting their turn for day in criminal court. A thief certainly violates ethical code. But isn’t stealing is a bit more than just that?
What would be the punishment for a normal person, a civilian from the street, who’d fail to pay taxes from hundreds of thousands of dollars? Or claim to be poor and obtain, by connections, several rent-stabilized apartments while having 7-figure income plus a house in Dominican Republic? Would a judge just shrug, wag his finger and sentence him to 50 HailMaries?
That’s a guy, don’t forget, who wants to re-install draft, out of oh so righteous indignation that Americans free to choose for themselves if they want to serve in the military or not. He finds it unethical, you see.
