New York City congressman Charlie Rangel, a Democrat, is an institution in New York politics — but in recent months that institution has lost some of its luster.<\/p>\n
“Charlie Rangel must be a centipede,” wrote the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in a lead editorial, “given how many shoes have been dropping regarding his personal finances.”<\/p>\n
From rent controlled apartments to unpaid taxes on a Caribbean villa, “Rangel’s moral claim to any top leadership post became debatable…”<\/p>\n
Rangel has met repeatedly with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but there’s no sign that he’ll lose his chairmanship of the influential Ways and Means Committee. <\/p>\n
(That’s the committee that hands out the money.)<\/p>\n
Rangel’s woes come at a time when Republicans are eager to blur the lines between their own plague of scandals and Democratic behavior.<\/p>\n
So far, Rangel’s indiscretions don’t appear to rise to the Abramoffian heights of the GOP, but it could be problematic for colleagues like Kirsten Gillibrand.<\/p>\n
The freshman Democratic congresswoman is fighting for a second term in New York’s 20th district. <\/p>\n
Challenger Sandy Treadwell has worked hard to link her with Rangel.<\/p>\n
“I once again call on you to return campaign contributions received from or solicited by Congressman Rangel,” Treadwell wrote in a recent public letter to Gillibrand, “and urge you to call on him to step aside as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gillibrand’s spokesperson has said that she supports an ethics investigation into Rangel’s behavior but refuses to prejudge the outcome. Her staff has also pointed to Gillibrand’s record of supporting open-government measures.<\/p>\n
So far, the issue hasn’t ignited or caught much media attention. But it’s likely to get fresh play when the two candidates hold their first debate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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