Democrats Tax The Rich Does Not Apply to Charlie Rangel

Democrat Charles Rangel, Chairman of the Committee in Charge of Writing Tax Policy Failed to Pay Taxes on Resort Property. Meanwhile, he will continue to help oversee the mortgage companies in Congress

Charles B. Rangel, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the committee in charge of writing tax policy for the entire nation, "forgot" to pay taxes on $75,000 income he received from his rental property in the Dominican Republic.

Here's the scoop according to The Washington Post:

Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) acknowledged that he had not lived up to the "higher standard" expected of members of Congress, but he maintained that he should not be punished politically for failing to disclose and pay taxes on rental income from his Caribbean resort property.

The Ways and Means Committee chairman, who is battling three ethics controversies, said he would file amended tax returns and pay federal, state and local taxes he owes -- an amount that his attorney, Lanny Davis, estimated at more than $10,000 for 2004 to 2006. Rangel's accountants are working to determine his tax liability for the rest of the 20 years that he has owned the three-bedroom villa in the Dominican Republic, Davis said.

Rangel, 78, said he regretted his failure to account for the $75,000 in income the property generated, calling the omission "irresponsible."

But it gets worse. News reports also surfaced this week that Rangel paid no mortgage interest on the property for over 10 years! According to the Associated Press, "[Lanny] Davis [Rangel's lawyer] said Rangel did not know until very recently he had not been charged interest for more than a decade."

(By the way, I'm not surprised at all to see former Clinton special counsel and long-time apologist Lanny Davis representing yet another corrupt public official.)

With respect to the other "ethics controversies" noted by the Post, as I reported to you in July, Rangel allegedly used his congressional office to raise funds from corporations that have business before his committee in order to bankroll his Charles P. Rangel Center for Public Service. Rangel has also been accused of using his influence to keep four extremely rare rent-stabilized apartments (in others words, cheap) in Harlem while his neighbors are being subjected to eviction.

Has Rangel learned anything from this slew of scandals that bear his name? Not at all. After the Rangel Center scandal broke, the New York Congressman chose to stage a publicity stunt, filing an ethics complaint against himself, rather than accepting responsibility for his actions. When asked about his recent tax scandal, Rangel boasted, "I'm a lucky old son of a gun…Ain't nothing going to stop me from getting back here next year."

Given the House Ethics Committee's shameless record of ignoring wrongdoing by members of Congress, Rangel can say that with confidence. But without question in my mind he has no business running a major congressional committee. And if he had any shame, he'd retire gracefully.

(And don't worry, the mortgage expert Charlie Rangel will continue to help oversee the mortgage companies in Congress.)

The fact is big government leads to more corruption. And it doesn't get much bigger than Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which dominated the $12 trillion home loan market, especially now that the federal government is running the whole show. The companies took care of both political parties, took more risks with the urging of their allies in Congress, and taxpayers are left holding the bag.

Arguably, this is the biggest government corruption scandal in our nation's history. But because "everyone" in Washington is involved, you won't hear a peep about it from our nation's Establishment.

Judicial Watch, has more than a few leads to investigate.

The seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States reminds us why it is so important to have honest and ethical people in public office. We face threats to our nation from terrorists and international outlaw nations and we expect our elected officials to be on the ball and watchful. If corrupt politicians are engaging in shady fundraising practices, extorting money, or accepting bribes, they are necessarily distracted from fulfilling their duty to make sure we are protected from terrorist threats. So it is not a stretch to say that it is a matter of national security that our government and its leaders be free from corruption.

Of course, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the murderous attacks and their families. We also express our gratitude to the multitudes of firemen, policemen and other responders who gave and risked their lives to save the lives of their fellow Americans, and to the members of the U.S. military fighting every day against the scourge of Islamic terrorism.

From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:
Tom Fitton, President
Judicial Watch is a non-partisan, educational foundation organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. Judicial Watch is dedicated to fighting government and judicial corruption and promoting a return to ethics and morality in our nation's public life. To make a tax-deductible contribution in support of our efforts, click here

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