Gabby Watch

National Newspapers Call for Rangel to Resign As Giffords Remains Silent
Will Giffords Finally Call for his Resignation and Return the Tainted Cash?

Washington – Today, a number of national newspapers, including the New York Times, called on Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) to step down as Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee in light of his three ethics investigations for questionable practices. Other newspapers took him to task for his latest revelation as well. Among those being investigated are his owning of four rent-stabilized apartments and his failure to disclose rental income from a beachfront villa he owns in the Dominican Republic. Now all that’s left is Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) to echo their calls for Rangel to resign and for her to return the $21,000 she’s received from Charlie Rangel’s fundraising accounts.

In a blistering editorial in today’s New York Times, they believe:

“…his temporary yielding of the gavel is an urgent necessity for a Democratic Congress elected two years ago on promises of an ethical housecleaning. The villa dealings only add momentum to the investigations of two earlier controversies — Mr. Rangel’s favored treatment in occupying four rent-stabilized apartments in Manhattan, and his improper use of official letterheads to solicit support from charities and corporations for an academic center to memorialize his career in public service.

“…If Mr. Rangel refuses a temporary hiatus from his chairmanship, Ms. Pelosi should remove him permanently.” (New York Times, 09/15/2008)

In another editorial in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer:

“…Speaker Nancy E. Pelosi (D., Calif.) should remove Rep. Charles Rangel (D., N.Y.) as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. The post requires Rangel to be above reproach, and he has not met that high standard.

“…Rangel won’t step down as chairman, and wants his detractors to wait for the outcome of the ethics probe. Pelosi said she won’t remove Rangel. She should reconsider.” (Philadelphia Inquirer, 09/15/2008)

In Sunday’s Washington Post, they wrote:

“…Mr. Rangel’s latest date with the media was particularly embarrassing. He told the assembled reporters that he neglected to pay taxes on $75,000 in rental income on a vacation home in the Dominican Republic — income and property that had not been previously disclosed — because language barriers kept him from obtaining financial information. Mr. Rangel’s attorney estimated the congressman owes more than $10,000 for 2004 to 2006. An assessment for the remaining 17 years is forthcoming.” (Washington Post, 09/14/2008)

And today’s Wall Street Journal exposed the irony of the principal tax-writing legislator failing to pay his taxes:

“…Charlie is a victim of the tax code he helped to write…The tax code now runs to some 67,000 pages, and Mr. Rangel has probably written a few thousand himself in his 38 years on Capitol Hill. If even the nation’s top tax writer can’t figure out what to declare as income, and what not to declare, how can the rest of us be expected to get it right?

“…He’d better hope both the IRS and his House colleagues treat him with more forbearance than he and they treat private citizens or businesses. Who knows, maybe Mr. Rangel will even take this embarrassment as new motivation to work with the next President on tax reform. How do you say ‘flat tax’ in Spanish?” (Wall Street Journal, 09/15/2008)

“When the ultra-liberal New York Times has lost all faith in the ability of a liberal to lead, you know the jig is up,” said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain. “The only question remaining is whether Gabby Giffords will remain silent on this issue and keep Rangel’s tainted cash.” 

If Gabby Giffords really seeks to change Washington, she should condemn Charlie Rangel and call on his immediate resignation from the Ways & Means Committee and return the thousands of dollars in campaign contributions she’s received from Rangel. After all, Rangel will need the extra cash to pay the Internal Revenue Service.

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