RUSH: ‘The most ethical Congress in history.’ Nancy Pelosi was going to ‘drain the swamp,’ she said. Yesterday afternoon in Washington at the House Ethics Adjudicatory Committee hearing, here is Representative Gene Greene, a Democrat from Texas, reading the charges against New York congressman Charles Rangel.
GREENE: The charges in the Statement of Alleged Violations relate to four general subject matters. One, solicitations and donations to the Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York. Two, errors and omissions on Representative Rangel’s financial disclosure statements. Three, use of rent-subsidized residential apartments by respondent campaign committees. And four, failure to report and pay taxes on rental income on respondent’s Punta Cana beach villa. The 13 charges are as follows. Count one, conduct in violation of the Solicitation and Gift Ban. Count two, conduct in violation of the Conduct of Ethics for Government Service clause five. Count three, conduct in violation of the House Gift Rule. Count four, conduct in violation of Postal Service laws and Franking Commission Regulations. Counts five, conduct in violation of the Franking Statute. Count six, conduct in violation of the House Office Building and Commissions regulations. Count seven, conduct in violation of the Purpose Law and the members Congressional Handbook. Count eight, conduct in violation of the Letterhead Rule.
RUSH: Stop the tape a second!
GREENE: Count nine, conduct in violation of the Ethics in Government Act and House Rule twenty-six.
RUSH: I didn’t know he broke the Letterhead Rule. Of all the rules he broke, that’s a new one on me. Count eight is ‘conduct in violation of the Letterhead Rule.’ That’s taking it too far. Of all these things — he didn’t pay taxes, four rent-controlled apartments — but he lied on the letterhead? Ho! Let’s listen to the rest of the charges.
GREENE: Count ten, conduct in violation of Code of Ethics for Government Service, clause five. Count 11, conduct in violation of the Code of Ethics for the Government Service, clause two. Count 12, conduct in violation of Code of Conduct letter and spirit of the House Rules. Count 13, conduct in violation of the Code of Conduct, conducting reflecting discredibility on the House.
RUSH: There you have it: 13 charges, ethics violations against Charlie Rangel. Here is — between 2008 and the present — the sum total of Rangel’s responses to these allegations to date.
RANGEL: What are you talking about? You just trying to make copy? It’s a dumb question.
RANGEL: Why don’t you mind your own God (bleep)ed business?
RANGEL: Where I live and how I live? It’s nobody’s damn business where I live.
RANGEL: I don’t pay too much attention to irresponsible reporters who report inaccuracies. False accusations have been made by a reporter.
RANGEL: Common sense dictates that members of Congress should not held responsible for wrongdoing.
RANGEL: I have to now deal with my lawyer as to what the hell do they mean.
RANGEL: Sixty years ago I survived a Chinese, uh, attack in North Korea and as a result — having survived that — I haven’t had a bad day since. Today I have to reassess that.
RUSH: That’s the sum total of Rangel’s responses to all these charges, 2008-2010. Let’s go back to April 18th, 2001, New Jersey’s Senator Bob Torricelli denying corruption charges as they were laid out. We have cut ins of the attorney of the guy who gave Torricelli all of the illegal goods, Brad Simon, listing the lavish gifts that Torricelli accepted while he denies the charge.
TORRICELLI: To challenge my integrity is beneath contempt. I do not deserve this treatment.
ATTORNEY: Two watches, a Rolex watch, diamond earrings for his girlfriend.
TORRICELLI: I have never —
ATTORNEY: A television set.
TORRICELLI: — Ever! —
ATTORNEY: Oriental rug, grandfather clock, other antique items.
TORRICELLI: — done anything —
ATTORNEY: Suits.
TORRICELLI: — at any time —
ATTORNEY: Approximately 14 deliveries of envelopes of cash to Torricelli’s house.
TORRICELLI: — to betray the trust of the people of the state of New Jersey. Never!
RUSH: Nancy Pelosi, November 7th, 2006, on Election Night…
PELOSI: Today the American people voted to restore integrity and honesty in Washington, DC. And the Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.
RUSH: After Rangel was charged yesterday, Pelosi said this…
PELOSI: The swamp was described in the press as a ‘criminal syndicate’ operating out of Republican leader’s office. Drain the swamp we did because this was a terrible place and we have made a tremendous difference and I take great pride in that. Are there going to be individual, uhhh, issues to be dealt with? Yes. I never said that there wouldn’t be.
RUSH: She maintains that she’s drained the swamp. Culture of corruption. Never attaches to Democrats, does it?