Rangel accused of ethics violations

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Longtime Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) said he was ‘saving the best for last’’ when he finally was called on to speak near the end of President Obama’s bipartisan healthcare summit yesterday. But a long day was not over for Rangel, who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee: He faced his own hastily called news conference on the House ethics committee accusing him of accepting corporate money for trips to Caribbean conferences in violation of House rules. Word of the ethics committee’s findings leaked last night.

The committee has concluded that it couldn’t determine whether Rangel knew about the financing of the trips, but found that his staff did know -- Rangel maintains that he did not know and had left the details to his staff.

The question now will become how long the 20-term congressman can maintain control of another staff and committee: Ways and Means.

Read more over at the Swamp.

-- Mark Silva