Charles Rangel Takes Leave of Absence from Chair of Ways and Means Committee

Last night, a little after 9 pm I received an email from Charlie Rangel’s campaign manager with his response, his side, to a decision made by the house ethics committee.

I googled the latest news and he said he wasn’t giving up the chairmanship.

I’m on Twitter this morning and I see he’s holding a 9 am press conference. He changed his mind over night.

Talking Points Memo on this morning’s press conference:

Less than a week after the ethics panel found he violated House rules by taking corporate-funded junkets to the Caribbean, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) announced this morning that he has asked Nancy Pelosi for a “leave of absence” from his duties as chair of the Ways and Means Committee, pending completion of various ethics investigations.

Rangel took no questions from the press, but added that “from the very beginning I have offered this to Speaker Pelosi.”

Just last night, after a private meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rangel told the press he would stay chair of the committee.

It’s not yet clear who will replace Rangel at the helm of the powerful Ways and Means committee. The most senior Dems on the panel behind Rangel are Reps. Pete Stark (D-CA) and Sander Levin (D-MI).

He still faces multiple outstanding probes from the ethics committee, which is looking into the congressman’s financial disclosures, among other issues.

Tags: Charles Rangel, Charlie Rangel, Harlem

Category: Harlem News, POLITICS