Ethics extends Rangel investigation
from NBC's Luke Russert
The House Ethics Committee issued a statement today saying that it would expand its investigation into the activities of House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel, (D-NY) specifically on his revised personal financial disclosure forms that he submitted in August of 2009.
The Committee’s statement was as follows, “"The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct voted unanimously on October 8th, 2009, to expand jurisdiction of the investigative subcommittee inquiry regarding the Matter of Representative Charles B. Rangel to determine if Representative Rangel violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation or other standard of conduct applicable to his conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities with respect to all Financial Disclose Statements and all amendments filed in the calendar year 2009 by or on behalf of Representative Charles. B Rangel pursuant to Title I of the Ethics in Government Act."
The statement continues, “The investigative subcommittee has collaborated in a bi-partisan manner in the performance of its duties and obligations. To that end , the investigative subcommittee to date has: authorized the issuance of close to 150 subpoenas; interviewed approximately 34 witnesses resulting in over 2,100 pages of transcripts, reviewed and analyzed over 12,000 pages of documents; and held over 30 investigative subcommittee meetings.”
Republicans were quick to pounce on the Committee’s statement. Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said, “Given the expanded investigation announced today, it is past time for Speaker Pelosi to insist that Chairman Rangel step aside until the Ethics Committee completes its work. The American people won't stand for having a chairman of the House's tax-writing committee who is under investigation for not paying his taxes. What more has to happen before Speaker Pelosi does the right thing?”
The Committee’s decision is certainly another blow to Rangel because it expands the investigation to his more recent financial records. In August he revised his earnings and claimed that he had between $1 million and $2.5 million in income, not the $500,000 to $1.3 million that he had reported earlier.
****UPDATE****Rep. Rangel's (D-NY) office said the following regarding today's decision by the House Ethics Committee to expand its investigation into his 2009 financial disclosure forms:
"As a practical matter, today's announcement is nothing new." The statement continued: "Today's action by the committee is a technicality, as everything they referenced in today's announcement has already been subject to on going review by the ethics committee and its staff." Lastly, "It is clear that the committee is being very thorough and deliberative in their process, hence today's announcement."
