Charles Rangel, Tax Dodger, Keeps His Awkward “Chair Of The House Tax-Writing Committee” Seat

New York Congressman Charles Rangel (D-Harlem) is keeping his post as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee after a vote in the House of Representatives today defeated a resolution to strip him of it. Charlie, you slick bastard, how do you do it?

Republican Congressman John Carter (R-TX), (whose politics are scary in their own right), introduced the resolution after Rangel was investigated last year for a failure to report thousands of dollars in rental income and a failure to pay taxes on a beach rental property in the Dominican Republic. He also allegedly lived in multiple, rent-subsidized apartments in New York City while claiming his Washington, D.C. home as his primary residence for tax purposes, and allegedly used congressional stationery to solicit donors for a public policy institute in his name at City College, along with other “questionable activities,” like, presumably, keeping that hairstyle of his.

Carter’s resolution was based on a proviso in the Rules of the House of Representatives which states that, “A Member, Delegate, Resident Commission, officer, or employee of the House shall conduct himself at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House.” Charlie kind of fucked that up when, amongst other things, he failed to report more than $75, 000 of income from said rental property in the D.R. and had the interest fees on his mortgage from those properties waived after the first two years. Seriously, what the fuck America?

But the Dean of the New York Congressional Delegation is not fucked with easily. Most democrats were unwilling to vote against him excepting two from Mississippi–Gene Taylor and Travis Childers. The rest of them, plus six republicans, opted to wait until the results are in from a lengthy investigation from the ethics committee. It’s good to be the dean.