Political Quotes

“Like many Members of the House, I have long considered Charlie Rangel a friend and a great public servant, but that is not before us now. We must now consider a report from the Ethics Committee finding that Mr. Rangel violated the rules of the House and recommending that he be censured for that. I do not disagree that he violated the rules of the House in serious ways; but under our standards and precedents, his conduct merits a reprimand, not a censure. In his actions, Mr. Rangel showed carelessness, poor judgment, and a severe disregard for the rules of the House. Some sanction is necessary and appropriate, but our precedents command a reprimand, not a censure. Censure has been reserved for corruption, personal corruption, improper personal financial gain and intent to gain money, or sexual misconduct. None of that is present here. You heard the discussion of people who were censured for personal financial gain, for bribery, for lying to the committee, such as Messrs. Wilson and Diggs and people like Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Hansen who committed severe infractions but were reprimanded. In this case, the staff director and chief counsel of the Ethics Committee said he saw 'no evidence of corruption.' Further, he admitted he did not believe Mr. Rangel was trying to enrich himself. What happened according to the chief counsel and the finding of the committee was that Mr. Rangel was overzealous in his advocacy for City College and sloppy in his financial dealings.”