| -Obits- | |
| Ex-Rep. Charlie Rangel, fixture on Capitol Hill for nearly half a century, dead at 94 | |
| 2025-05-26 | |
| [NY Post] He'll still vote Former New York City Congressman Charlie Rangel, a fixture on Capitol Hill and Democratic power player for nearly half a century, died Monday. He was 94. Rangel, 94, was a Harlem political institution who spent his life in public service, from the Korean War to becoming the first African American to chair the influential House Ways and Means Committee. His influence can still be felt today, said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who sits atop the Empire State’s political delegation in the House – a role long held by Rangel himself. “The Lion of Lenox Ave was a transformational force of nature,” Jeffries wrote on X. “Harlem, NYC & America are better today because of his service. “May he forever rest in power,” Jeffries said. Rangel was first elected to Congress in 1970 after challenging civil-rights leader Adam Clayton Powell Jr. for his seat. During his tenure, Rangel was part of the Gang of Four, a legendary political coalition from Harlem. The four — Rangel, former Mayor David Dinkins, former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton and former state Sen. Basil Paterson — were a powerful political force centered in Upper Manhattan for years. The City College of New York in Harlem — which named its school of public service after Rangel — posted a statement online announcing Rangel’s death on Memorial Day and deeming him a champion for his Big Apple constituents. “He served for 23 terms in the House of Representatives and was cited as the most effective lawmaker in Congress, leading all of his colleagues in passing legislation,” the statement said. In another online tribute, Big Apple businessman and supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis called Rangel “a symbol of Harlem, a fighter for justice, a skilled diplomat. “We knew each other for more than 50 years,” Catsimatidis said. “Charlie was a Harlem youth. You couldn’t walk down a street without someone calling his name.” Still, Rangel’s illustrious career was tarnished by an ethics scandal and accusations first reported by The Post. Rangel had owned a beachfront village in a sunny Dominican Republic resort but failed to report his income from it. The Post’s exposé included an infamous front-page photo of Rangel sleepily basking in the sun on the beach property. A House panel convicted Rangel on ethics charges after a two-year investigation found he repeatedly broke rules, dodged taxes, concealed assets and misused his position to raise money for the City College center that bears his name. Despite Rangel’s pleas for leniency, his House colleagues overwhelmingly voted to censure him – a rare step only taken 28 times in the legislative body’s more than 200-year history. The move involves a public vote of condemnation by the chamber, although those censured keep all of their powers as House members. Rangel eventually retired from Congress in 2017.
[ABC] Former New York Rep. Charles Rangel, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus who spent more than four decades in the House, has died, according to WABC. He was 94 years old. Rangel, a Democrat, served in the House from 1971 until 2017, spending part of his tenure as the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. After leaving Congress, Rangel served as statesman-in-residence at The City College of New York, its website said. "Rangel was a war hero, history-making congressman, and master lawmaker," the college wrote in an obit for Rangel, later adding that he was "recognized as one of the hardest working legislators in Congress." Related: Charlie Rangel 02/26/2016 End of an Charlie Rangel 06/26/2014 Harlem gets the representation it deserves Charlie Rangel 06/24/2014 Longtime congressman Rangel finds himself in political peril in New York primary | |
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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| End of an |
| 2016-02-26 |
 [HotAir] And now it's ending. As Moe Lane so elegantly put it, Charlie Rangel has won in the ultimate meaning of the word. He gamed the system for more than four decades, enriching himself at the expense of those he was supposedly representing, dodging the law and living the high life. And he never paid any serious price for his actions the entire time. |
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| Home Front: Politix |
| Harlem gets the representation it deserves |
| 2014-06-26 |
[WEEKLYSTANDARD] Veteran New York congressman  Charlie Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers!Rangel Congressman-for-Life from Harlem, who became what 20 terms in Congress turns you into ... seems to have held on in Tuesday's Democratic primary. The third-longest serving member of the House has a lead over just about 1800 votes over his top challenger, state senator Adriano Espaillat. Rangel has claimed victory in the primary, although Espaillat has not yet conceded the race. Rangel, long known as the congressman from Harlem, faces changing demographics in his Manhattan district. His natural black base there has been largely replaced by Hispanics, particularly Dominican Americans like Espaillat. Add to that Rangel's ethics problems and charges of unreported income and unpaid taxes (which forced him to step down as Ways and Means committee chairman in 2010), and it's no surprise Rangel found himself in a fight. In fact, Espaillat nearly beat him in the Democratic primary in 2012, with Rangel escaping by just a thousand votes. But as the Washington Post's Wesley Lowery reported, Rangel seemed more ready this time to shore up support in his changing district: But, vowing to not be taken by surprise, Rangel has campaigned hard and boasts the endorsements of many of the nation's top Democrats. Former president Bill Clinton ...former Democratic president of the U.S. Bill was the second U.S. president to be impeached, the first to deny that oral sex was sex, the first to have difficulty with the definition of is... , House Minority Leader  Nancy San Fran NanPelosi Congresswoman-for-Life from the San Francisco Bay Area, born into a family of professional politicians. Formerly Speaker of the House, but it's not her fault they lost. Really. Noted for her heavily botoxed grimace... (Calif.) and House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (Md.) have lent their names to Rangel's reelection bid which, if successful, is likely to make him the second-longest-serving current House member, behind Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), who also is seeking reelection. Rangel's campaign has worked to underscore his links to local Hispanic communities, rolling out endorsements from Latino leaders. |
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| Home Front: Politix |
| Longtime congressman Rangel finds himself in political peril in New York primary |
| 2014-06-24 |
| [Washington Post] The birthday boy, turning 84, stood near the back of the room beneath white and gold balloons as friends, allies and supporters lined up for photos. Between photos, he stole swigs of the Corona Light gripped tightly in his left hand as the upbeat sounds of a local Latin band echoed off the dark walls. The crowded fundraiser this month was a departure from Rep. Charlie Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers!Rangel Congressman-for-Life from Harlem, who became what 20 terms in Congress turns you into ... 's legendary birthday bashes of the past, which often were headlined by the likes of Aretha Franklin ...The Queen of Soul. She denies ever having been in a fistfight with Patti Labelle... and Dionne Warwick and attended by New York's black political royalty — former New York City mayor David Dinkins ...the former mayor of New York. He sez he lost to Rudy Giuliani in 1993 because of racism, which is pervasive in places like Manhattan... , the civil rights hustler Al Sharpton ...Tawana Brawley's spiritual advisor... and singer Harry Belafonte. This year, many of the speakers were lesser-known Dominican activists and political strategists. The headliner was Dominican entertainer Frederick Martinez, also known as "El Pacha," a popular Spanish-language radio and television host. Those changes to the guest list tell almost the entire story of the political peril that threatens to end one of the iconic careers in American politics. Over his 44 years in office, Rangel, "the congressman from Harlem," became one of best-known political figures in American politics and a defining voice in the nation's black politics. Notice that he's not threatened with losing his seat because he's so old he used to date God's grandmother. Nor is he in danger of losing his seat because of being censured by the House ethics committee, which really takes some doing. |
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| Home Front: Politix | |
| Rangel: Tea Party Is 'Same Group' Of 'White Crackers' Who Fought Civil Rights | |
| 2013-08-03 | |
[LIVEWIRE.TALKINGPOINTSMEMO] In an interview with the Daily Beast published Friday, Rep. Charlie Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers!Rangel Congressman-for-Life from Harlem, who became what 20 terms in Congress turns you into ... (D-NY) suggested Tea Partiers are the "same group" who fought for segregation during the Civil Rights movement. "It is the same group we faced in the South with those white crackers and the dogs and the police. They didn't care about how they looked," Rangel said.
"It was just fierce indifference to human life that caused America to say enough is enough. 'I don't want to see it and I am not a part of it.' What the hell! If you have to bomb little kids and send dogs out against human beings, give me a break," said Rangel. | |
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| Home Front: Politix |
| Ethically-challenged Rep. Charles Rangel in campaign debt |
| 2013-02-02 |
[WASHINGTONTIMES] In a case of the mighty having fallen, the campaign of Democratic Rep. Charlie Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers!Rangel Congressman-for-Life from Harlem, who became what 20 terms in Congress turns you into ... , the dean of the New York Congressional delegation and a man who was for decades untouchable in his Harlem district, is $35,000 in debt but has only $5,000 in the bank and has received handouts from other House members. Sounds like it's time for another "birthday party"... Mr. Rangel faced his first serious primary challenge in years, spending nearly a half-million dollars to fend off the son of the man he first deposed decades ago. And ethics charges have worn him down, forcing him to fundraise separately for a legal defense fund. His campaign donated the maximum allowed, $5,000, to the legal fund, disclosures showed Thursday. Mr. Rangel, who long helped other colleagues raise money, more recently has found himself on the receiving end of charity, as his colleagues in the House donated money to him through their leadership PACs, an act that had never before been necessary. |
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| Home Front: Politix |
| Ballot issues arise after Rangel's apparent primary win |
| 2012-07-03 |
(CNN) - While Rep. Charlie Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers!Rangel Congressman-for-Life from Harlem, who became what 20 terms in Congress turns you into ... of New York celebrates a major primary victory this week - his toughest challenge in 42 years - the state is stepping in on ballot complaints that could wind up changing the results. New unofficial numbers released Saturday night by the New York City Board of Elections show Rangel ahead of his main challenger, state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, by only two percentage points - 44% to 42% - with just 802 votes separating them and more than 3,000 votes unaccounted for. The figures come after Espaillat's campaign filed a lawsuit contending too many ballots were left outstanding in Tuesday's election. "Four days after polls closed, we finally have a preliminary vote count, excluding thousands of paper ballots. With each new tally, Senator Espaillat's vote total increases. As paper ballots begin to be counted and this dead-heat race continues, we are grateful to all of our supporters and will continue to push for full transparency in counting every single vote," said Espaillat's spokesperson Ibrahim Khan in a statement. The state Supreme Court decided Friday to hold a hearing on the election results, which is on the docket for Monday, according to the court system. Espaillat conceded defeat to Rangel Tuesday night, as tallies showed the 21-term Democratic congressman had netted about 45% of the vote, compared to Espaillat at 40%, in a multi-candidate race. The new two-percentage-point margin includes votes cast in electronic voting machines during Tuesday's primary. According to the board's spokeswoman, Valerie Vazquez, there are 3,270 votes to sort through from affidavits and absentee ballots -- a tally that could potentially swing the results. That figure includes 2,494 affidavits, which consist of paper ballots from those whose names were not on voter register lists at respective polling sites, and therefore ineligible to vote on a machine. The board has to first verify that those names are in fact registered before their votes can be added to the final count. Vazquez said 776 absentee ballots also remain outstanding. The total sum of additional votes will not be finalized until after Thursday, she added. Only then will there be an official margin. "Our policy and procedures require a manual hand count if the margin of victory is less than one half of a percentage point," Vazquez told CNN. Espaillat, a 57-year-old Dominican-American, has used his background to court Latino votes and take aim at the 82-year-old Rangel over his long tenure in Washington and his ethics abuses. If he had won Tuesday, he could have been on the way to being the first Dominican-American elected to Congress. |
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| Pay to play, brought to you by Washington |
| 2011-11-19 |
[Washington Post] Almost exactly a year ago, members of Congress voted overwhelmingly to censure their colleague Rep. Charlie Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers!Rangel Congressman-for-Life from Harlem, who became what 20 terms in Congress turns you into ... for bringing dishonor on the House. Then-House Speaker Nancy San Fran NanPelosi Congresswoman-for-Life from the San Francisco Bay Area, born into a family of politicians. Formerly Speaker of the House, but it's not her fault they lost. Really. Noted for her heavily botoxed grimace... summoned the New York Democrat to the well and chastised him for his 11 ethics violations, which included improper fundraising. This week, Rangel again brought the House into disrepute -- but this time he had the full support of his colleagues. "Last night marked a momentous evening in my campaign for re-election," Rangel wrote Thursday in a letter to supporters. "At a special event in Washington, Democratic leaders including Nancy Pelosi, the mealy-mouthed Steny StinkyHoyer ... Nancy San Fran NanPelosi's second banana, or plaintain, or mango, or whatever he is... , James Clyburn, Sandy Levin, John Conyers, Emmanuel Cleaver, and Steve Israel stood by my side and pledged their unwavering support on my behalf. I am so humbled and grateful for their involvement." |
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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Rangel's NY supporters urge 'no' vote on censure |
| 2010-11-22 |
Rep. Charlie Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers!Rangel's ... who became what 20 terms in Congress turns you into ... supporters in New York's Harlem want members of Congress to stand by him. A group of local leaders says Rangel has worked hard in his decades-long career to support his community. They're urging other members of the House of Representatives to vote no on a recommendation to censure him. |
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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Recommended punishment for Rangel: Censure |
| 2010-11-19 |
[Washington Examiner] House ethics lawyer Blake Chisam has just recommended that Rep. Charlie Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers!Rangel receive a censure as punishment for 11 charges of violating the House rules. A censure is a formal vote by the House to formally rebuke a member and it is considered the most serious of "wrist slap" punishments but far less serious than expulsion. Rangel was convicted of charges ranging from failure to pay taxes, improper use of House stationary and using his powers as a politician to solicit money for a school named after him. |
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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| After Rangel walks out, ethics trial continues |
| 2010-11-16 |
[Washington Examiner] Shortly after veteran Rep. Charlie Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers!Rangel of New York walked out of his ethics trial in protest, a House panel began closed-door deliberations Monday on 13 counts of alleged financial and fundraising misconduct that could bring formal condemnation. Only recently one of the most powerful members of Congress, Rangel was reduced to pleading in vain for colleagues to give him time to raise money for a lawyer before taking up the charges. The 80-year-old congressman left when they said no, and the rare proceeding -- only the second for this type of hearing in two decades -- went on without him. An ethics committee panel of four Democrats and four Republicans was sitting as a jury in the case late Monday. The official acting as prosecutor said the facts were so clear there was no need to call witnesses, and panel members apparently agreed. If the panel members decide Rangel violated any House rules, the full committee will hold a hearing on how he should be punished. The most likely sanction would be a House vote deploring his conduct. |
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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Chollie's woes hit upstate Democrat |
| 2010-08-10 |
| More than 200 miles from Harlem, Charlie Rangel has become a household name. That's a problem for Rep. Michael Arcuri. The Oneida County Democrat, locked in one of the tightest House races in the nation, has in recent months scrambled to cut ties with the embattled Rangel. Arcuri was the first -- and so far only -- Democratic congressman from New York to urge Rangel to quit in the wake of 13 ethics charges. In March, he gave to charity $23,000 in campaign contributions from the longtime Harlem lawmaker. |
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