WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement today on Chairman Charles B. Rangel:
“Congressman Rangel was not found guilty of corruption or enriching himself. He was found guilty of poor record keeping, and improperly using his office stationery. Long ago he admitted these lapses and has worked to correct them.
“It is important to remember that Congressman Rangel was the person that initiated the ethics process, by asking the committee to look into allegations against him. He also hired a forensic accountant to clear up his tax matters and he’s already settled with the IRS.
“It is still too premature to speculate on how this will be finally resolved, but I do know that when Congressman Rangel was charged with breaking House rules, he worked to correct the violations.
“Congressman Rangel has a distinguished, demonstrated 50-year history of service to his constituents who again returned him to office in November. When his record and actions are compared with other members, reason would seem to indicate that any decision on punishment should be in line with previous findings of the ethics committee.”