Why Is Kendrick Meek Standing By Embattled Colleague Charlie Rangel?

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House Panel Finds Charlie Rangel Violated Numerous Ethical Rules, So Why Hasn’t Kendrick Meek Returned His Tainted Campaign Cash?

WASHINGTON – As the bipartisan House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct announced that U.S. Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY) has been officially charged with a range of ethics violations following a lengthy investigation, U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek (D-FL) continues to loyally stand by his Democrat colleague.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) called on Meek to return Rangel’s tainted campaign cash in March 2010 after a number of his Democrat colleagues returned his contributions amid a number of very serious allegations including income tax violations. However, Meek has refused to return at least $5,500 in donations from Rangel’s campaign committee and leadership PAC during the course of the investigation surrounding the embattled former Ways and Means Committee Chairman.

The New York Times reports today that the Committee of Rangel’s congressional peers has spent nearly two years investigating claims that he “improperly rented four rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem at a price well below market value, despite rules forbidding House members from accepting gifts worth more than $50. It also had been investigating allegations that he improperly used his office to provide legislative favors for an oil-drilling company that pledged a $1 million donation for an academic center named for Mr. Rangel and improperly failed to report taxable income received from a villa he owns in the Dominican Republic.”

“Why does Kendrick Meek continue to stand by Charlie Rangel after a bipartisan committee of his peers determined that he likely violated key ethics rules?” asked NRSC spokeswoman Amber Marchand. “Actions speak louder than words, and Kendrick Meek’s actions continue to demonstrate that he’s inexplicably willing to condone Charlie Rangel’s numerous violations and ignore the House Ethics Committee, which has admonished the embattled Congressman.”

Background Information:

Kendrick Meek Has Accepted At Least $5,500 From Rangel’s Campaign Committee And Leadership PAC:

• Kendrick Meek Accepted $500 From Rangel For Congress In July 2002. (Federal Election Commission Website, www.fec.gov, Accessed 2/25/10)

• In The 2008 Cycle, Kendrick Meek Accepted $5,000 From Rangel’s Leadership PAC. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cmte=C00302588&cycle=2008, Accessed 2/25/10)

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