Charles Rangel: “I gather that most of the Members, Democrat and Republican, are very anxious to put the heat and passion of our…”

“I gather that most of the Members, Democrat and Republican, are very anxious to put the heat and passion of our partisanship behind us and to get on and legislate as the American people would want us to do. God knows I have contributed my share toward that heat and passion, and make no apologies for my partisanship. But we cannot have it both ways. We cannot say that he pled guilty but he did not do anything. For those people who want to pursue outside issues, I beg them not to think about doing it. If we want to investigate who was coercing members of the committee, then maybe we will investigate who asked them how they were going to vote on the question of the Speaker. Who is talking about taxes? The Select Committee on Ethics had no right to go into tax issues. That is for the Internal Revenue Service; that is for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and they have the responsibility to do that. The Speaker is intelligent. He is an intellectual. He read the charges. He said he brought discredit upon this House. For God's sake, let us get on with it.”