Plagued
by ethics scandals, New York Congressman Charles Rangel gave up the
gavel on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.
For now, the move is only temporary.
It certainly did
not come as a shock, but Rep. Rangel's announcement reverberated from
Washington to New York and around the country.
"I have,
this morning, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi, asking her to grant me
a leave of absence," Rangel said.
There was then a salvo
from the Republican minority leader of the House.
"The
ethics committee has found that Mr. Rangel violated the rules of the
House and he's been admonished," said Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.
"As a long-time member of the House he does not deserve to be a
member of the Democrat leadership nor as chairman of this committee."
Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said the image of Rangel
by his villa in the Caribbean, which the ethics committee is
investigating for possible income tax violation, will be sent to
every close race in America by the Republicans.
"You're
going to see millions of pieces of direct mail with Charlie Rangel's
picture, lying in a villa in the Dominican Republic, as an example of
Congressional abuse," Sheinkopf said.
Ed Koch and Rangel
go back 50 years. Koch calls him a friend. But the former New York
City mayor acknowledges Rangel is in for more punishment.
"I
really love Charlie Rangel," Koch said. "I feel so bad for
him. The reason that he is stepping down is, obviously, because
Democrats are leaving the ship," Koch said.
At the heart
of Rangel's district -- Harlem -- there was some support, but Diane
Hill's words were typical of what CBS 2 HD heard:
"I
feel embarrassed, totally completely embarrassed. We finally get a
chance to do something, have our names up there, have our children
see us doing something other than playing basketball … and this
happens," Hill said.
Although he was "admonished,"
as they say, by the House Ethics Committee for accepting corporate
gifts for trips to the Caribbean in 2007 and '08, that committee is
still investigating Rangel for taxes; for how the house in the
Caribbean was financed; and also for how properties were financed --
here in Harlem.
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