March, 03 2010, 11:43am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jordan Libowitz,,jlibowitz@citizensforethics.org,.
CREW Statement on Rangel Stepping Down as Chairman
CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan stated today, "Given that he has
been admonished by the notoriously lax House Ethics Committee and
remains the subject of an investigation into many other ethics
violations, it is appropriate that Rep. Rangel has -- at least
temporarily -- stepped down from his position as chairman of the House
Ways and Means Committee."
WASHINGTON
CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan stated today, "Given that he has
been admonished by the notoriously lax House Ethics Committee and
remains the subject of an investigation into many other ethics
violations, it is appropriate that Rep. Rangel has -- at least
temporarily -- stepped down from his position as chairman of the House
Ways and Means Committee."
Sloan continued, "Of course,
this didn't happen in a vacuum. Midterm elections are only eight months
away and voters have made it abundantly clear that they care about
ethics, even if members of Congress only pretend to. By forcing Rep.
Rangel out, Democrats undercut Republican efforts to portray them as
soft on ethics, the very strategy that returned Democrats to the
majority in the 2006 elections."
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials -- regardless of party affiliation -- who sacrifice the common good to special interests. CREW advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach.
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