A House committee voted unanimously Thursday to expand its investigation into New York's Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel, CBS 2 has learned.
Congressman Rangel's sudden recollection this summer of at least $500,000 in cash assets and tens of thousands of dollars of investment income has gotten him into more hot water.
The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct issued a statement on Thursday that is now going to investigate his apparent lapses in memory as part of a probe that has already lasted 16 months.
Showing posts with label Charlie Rangel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlie Rangel. Show all posts
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Palate Cleanser: House Committee Unanimously Voted to Continue Investigating Rangel, BiPartisanship
Earlier today, the committee that leads the investigation into Rangel's questionable tax memory has decided that there is enough evidence to keep the lead tax writer for the House on the hot seat for tax evasion:
Thursday, October 1, 2009
House Republican Leadership Set Their Sights on Charlie Rangel's Committee Chairmanship
With an investigation underway and possible disciplinary hearing pending regarding Charlie Rangel's alleged tax evasion, Republicans have begun pushing for Charlie Rangel, Democrat, to step down from the head of the "tax-writing" committee:
In response, Rep. Rangel said that it is "unfair" that they want him to step down while he is under a disciplinary committee determines whether he is guilty of a felony or not.
I don't know why it's "unfair". Eliot Spitzer had to resign because of a misdemeanor. Why is it so "unfair" to step down because of a felony?
House Republicans are attempting to turn the heat up the heat on Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel with a plan to offer a resolution next week calling on the New York Democrat to relinquish his gavel until an ethics investigation is completed.
The privileged resolution will be offered by Texas GOP Rep. John Carter, an elected member of House leadership. It is the third such attempt by House Republicans to highlight the ethical problems surrounding the veteran lawmaker.
It would be the first resolution offered on the House floor since Rangel filed amended disclosure reports in August that showed at least $500,000 in previously unreported assets.
“To allow Mr. Rangel to continue to serve as chairman is the same as allowing a confessed bank robber to serve as Chairman of the Banking Committee during the trial,” Carter said in a statement on his intention to offer the resolution unless Rangel voluntarily resigns before next week (which is unlikely)
In response, Rep. Rangel said that it is "unfair" that they want him to step down while he is under a disciplinary committee determines whether he is guilty of a felony or not.
I don't know why it's "unfair". Eliot Spitzer had to resign because of a misdemeanor. Why is it so "unfair" to step down because of a felony?
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Captain Planet Pelosi to Commitee Chairmen: Push Climate Change Bill Or Else
House Speaker Pelosi is determined to save the planet no matter if we want it or not:
With the low poll numbers that climate change gets, Pelosi must be realizing that it is now or never for a passing of such a bill. The number of people that believe in man-made global warming continues to decline. When asked about issues that mean the most to them, voters consistently rank climate change dead last. Most people just don't care about it. If she hesitates any longer, there may be no way to get people to buy into passing climate change legislation anymore.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday issued an ultimatum to her committee chairmen: move climate change legislation by June 19 or risk losing jurisdiction over the bill.
By imposing the deadline, Pelosi (D-Calif.) is asserting her authority over Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), among others, in an effort to unhinge her signature issue, which has been mired in intra-party politics.
The bill was approved by the Energy and Commerce Committee before the Memorial Day recess and was initially intended for a subsequent floor vote. But Rangel and Peterson objected, and Peterson even threatened to take down the bill if his committee didn’t have a chance to mark it up or have provisions in it significantly altered.
With the low poll numbers that climate change gets, Pelosi must be realizing that it is now or never for a passing of such a bill. The number of people that believe in man-made global warming continues to decline. When asked about issues that mean the most to them, voters consistently rank climate change dead last. Most people just don't care about it. If she hesitates any longer, there may be no way to get people to buy into passing climate change legislation anymore.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Washington Shakespearean AIG Drama Continues: Congress Debates Taxing Bonuses Away
House to Vote on Taxing AIG Bonus Bonanza
Lawmakers are preparing to slap heavy taxes on employee bonuses at insurance giant AIG and at other companies that have received large bailout packages from the government.
AP Thursday, March 19, 2009
WASHINGTON -- Venting their outrage, lawmakers are preparing to slap heavy taxes on employee bonuses at insurance giant AIG and at other companies that have received large bailout packages from the government.
The House was scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill that would levy a 90 percent tax on bonuses paid to employees with family incomes above $250,000 at companies that have received at least $5 billion in government bailout money.
"We figured that the local and state governments would take care of the other 10 percent," said Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.
Rangel said the bill would apply to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, among others, while excluding community banks and other smaller companies that have received less bailout money.
House Democratic leaders unveiled the bill as the head of embattled American International Group Inc., which has received $182 billion in bailout money, testified about $165 million in bonuses paid out in the past week to about 400 employees in its Financial Products unit.
Edward Liddy, who was brought in last year by the government to run AIG, told a House subcommittee Wednesday that the company was contractually obligated to pay the bonuses but that some of the recipients have begun returning all or part of them.
Liddy said that on Tuesday, he had "asked those who have received retention payments in excess of $100,000 or more to return at least half of those payments." Some have "already stepped forward and returned 100 percent," he added.
Lawmakers rushed to the microphones after word of the bonuses was leaked out by the government over the weekend. Bills were quickly drawn up in both the House and Senate to impose heavy new taxes on them.
The top two members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday announced a bill that would impose a 35 percent excise tax on the companies paying the bonuses and a 35 percent excise tax on the employees receiving them. The taxes would apply to all companies receiving government bailout money, but they are clearly geared toward AIG.
President Barack Obama, who took office just under two months ago, told reporters Wednesday that his administration was not responsible for a lack of federal supervision of AIG that preceded the company's demise.
But Obama added, "The buck stops with me."
Obama said his administration was consulting with Congress on creating a new "resolution authority" to seize giant institutions like AIG -- including all their toxic assets -- whose collapse in normal bankruptcy could cause calamity in the financial markets.
Republicans have pointed their criticism at Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, questioning how much he know about the bonuses in advance and efforts by the administration to stop them. And they complained anew about being locked out of discussions earlier this year when Democrats decided to jettison a provision in the economic stimulus bill that would have revoked the payments.
"The fact is that the bill the president signed, which protected the AIG bonuses and others, was written behind closed doors by Democratic leaders of the House and Senate. There was no transparency," said Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/19/house-vote-taxing-aig-bonus-bonanza/
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My Thoughts
If they're so upset about failure not being rewarded, they need to tax 90% the automatic raises that Congress has received over the past few years, too.
Lawmakers are preparing to slap heavy taxes on employee bonuses at insurance giant AIG and at other companies that have received large bailout packages from the government.
AP Thursday, March 19, 2009
WASHINGTON -- Venting their outrage, lawmakers are preparing to slap heavy taxes on employee bonuses at insurance giant AIG and at other companies that have received large bailout packages from the government.
The House was scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill that would levy a 90 percent tax on bonuses paid to employees with family incomes above $250,000 at companies that have received at least $5 billion in government bailout money.
"We figured that the local and state governments would take care of the other 10 percent," said Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.
Rangel said the bill would apply to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, among others, while excluding community banks and other smaller companies that have received less bailout money.
House Democratic leaders unveiled the bill as the head of embattled American International Group Inc., which has received $182 billion in bailout money, testified about $165 million in bonuses paid out in the past week to about 400 employees in its Financial Products unit.
Edward Liddy, who was brought in last year by the government to run AIG, told a House subcommittee Wednesday that the company was contractually obligated to pay the bonuses but that some of the recipients have begun returning all or part of them.
Liddy said that on Tuesday, he had "asked those who have received retention payments in excess of $100,000 or more to return at least half of those payments." Some have "already stepped forward and returned 100 percent," he added.
Lawmakers rushed to the microphones after word of the bonuses was leaked out by the government over the weekend. Bills were quickly drawn up in both the House and Senate to impose heavy new taxes on them.
The top two members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday announced a bill that would impose a 35 percent excise tax on the companies paying the bonuses and a 35 percent excise tax on the employees receiving them. The taxes would apply to all companies receiving government bailout money, but they are clearly geared toward AIG.
President Barack Obama, who took office just under two months ago, told reporters Wednesday that his administration was not responsible for a lack of federal supervision of AIG that preceded the company's demise.
But Obama added, "The buck stops with me."
Obama said his administration was consulting with Congress on creating a new "resolution authority" to seize giant institutions like AIG -- including all their toxic assets -- whose collapse in normal bankruptcy could cause calamity in the financial markets.
Republicans have pointed their criticism at Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, questioning how much he know about the bonuses in advance and efforts by the administration to stop them. And they complained anew about being locked out of discussions earlier this year when Democrats decided to jettison a provision in the economic stimulus bill that would have revoked the payments.
"The fact is that the bill the president signed, which protected the AIG bonuses and others, was written behind closed doors by Democratic leaders of the House and Senate. There was no transparency," said Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.
-----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/19/house-vote-taxing-aig-bonus-bonanza/
-----------------------------------------------------------
My Thoughts
If they're so upset about failure not being rewarded, they need to tax 90% the automatic raises that Congress has received over the past few years, too.
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