UPDATE: HE'S GONE!!!! PROOF Rangel Knew of Corporate Involvement in Caribbean Trips

Scroll to the bottom for a letter from Rangel to the Wicked Witch of Congress.

So ... Congresscriminal Charlie Rangel had his lawyer blast the House ethics panel last week for being "wrong on the facts and unsupported by the law," eh? He didn't know about the corporate financing, eh? It's not "good" that Rangel's been admonished, but The Wicked Witch of Congress says "it's not jeopardizing our country in any way," eh?

So, how come there are photos of good ole Charlie at a corporate event during one of the junkets ... and photos of corporate signs all around his lying ass?

From Peter Flaherty, the guy who gave the ethics committee the goods on Rangel:

The admonishment last week of House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) was based in part on photos, audio recordings and other materials that I provided the Ethics Committee from the 2008 St. Maarten junket. Rangel still claims, however, that he did not know of the corporate involvement. I went back today and found this photo. I did not provide it to the Ethics Committee because I never imagined that Rangel would make such a claim. This photo is more proof that Rangel’s protestation of ignorance is simply not plausible.

Go here to see the rest of the images. (Captions below are from Flaherty.)


Here’s another photo that shows the gentleman above in the blue jacket is Rangel. In both photos, to his right is former New York mayor David Dinkins. To his left is Carl McCall, the former Comptroller New York state.


Corporate sponsorship is manifested in three ways. First, corporate logos appear on the sign on the podium. Here’s a closer look at the sign.


Corporate logos were rotated on the projection screen, both individually and all at once.



GOTCHA! I wonder what Charlie's story will be now.

Cross-posted at PatDollard.com

BOOYAH UPDATE! Rangel takes his money and runs, resigning this very evening his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee. It's only temporarily, supposedly, but maybe in the interim he'll learn to do his taxes properly.

According to Democratic officials, New York Congressman Charlie Rangel is set to temporarily step down from his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means committee.

After violating House rules last week and continuing investigations by the House Ethics committee into Rangel's campaign finances and unreported income from rental properties, the Congressman has been the focus of growing pressure to resign his post as chairman.

One Senior Democratic Official tells me that Representative Pete Stark of California is set to take over the chair for the time being, but debate on the issue continues.

Says WSB Radio's @Jamiedupree (via Twitter): "The irony here is interesting, since Rangel replaced Rep Adam Clayton Powell Jr, who was dogged by ethics issues."

CONFUSING (DISTRICT OF CRIMINALS PAR) UPDATE II: Via MSNBC ((I screened it for Tingles or Overbite but found no trace):

Asked by an NBC reporter if he will remain chairman, Rangel responded with an emphatic "yes."

"You bet your life on it," he said.

But two Democratic sources tell NBC News that Rangel will take a "leave of absence" — beginning Wednesday — until the investigation is over.

The powerful Democrat was encouraged to step aside before the House votes on a bill to strip him of his chairmanship.

"We don't have the votes to save him," one Democratic member said of Rangel.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE UPDATE III: Now, you know you can trust a source like Snark & Boobs (really, she's really snarky ... and she has boobs, just ask her) ...

Some news outlets are reporting that the ever corrupt Charlie Rangel (D-NY) will be stepping down as chairman of the Ways and Means committee.

OH, FER CHRIST SAKES MAKE UP YOUR MIND PLOT THICKENS LIKE GRITS UPDATE IV: Late night vibes via Politico. He's out, he's in, maybe ... maybe ... out ... just this once, after all, being aged 4,073 has its druthers:

As he emerged Tuesday night from a meeting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s ceremonial office – sometimes known on Capitol Hill as “the woodshed” – the New York Democrat insisted that he is still the chairman of the powerful tax-writing committee.

But he couldn’t guarantee that would be the case by Wednesday.

“I can’t make all those promises at my age,” the 79-year-old Rangel said

Republicans plan to force a House floor vote this week on whether to remove Rangel from the chairmanship following last week’s finding that he violated House gift rules by accepting a corporate-sponsored trip to the Caribbean.

I don't know why they call Pelosi's inner sanctum "the woodshed." They ought to call it The Cauldron.

FOR THE LAST FRIGGIN' TIME, I TOLD YOU SO UPDATE V: The tax-cheating tax law writer takes a leave of absence, via JammieWearingFool:

U.S. Representative Charles Rangel announced today that he sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking for a leave of absence from his post as chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

Rangel, a Democrat from New York, declined to give details as to what prompted his decision to relinquish leadership of the panel, which also has jurisdiction over Social Security, trade and Medicare. Rangel was admonished for breaking House rules on accepting gifts.

Here's the bitter one-sentence letter from the tax cheat. Cry baby.