Monday, January 26, 2009

Rangel Ethics Probe: Will Pelosi Set New Deadline?

The New York Post reports - - -

Nobody's home at the House ethics committee that's supposed to be investigating Rep. Charles Rangel.

The panel created on Sept. 24 to probe the Harlem Democrat's alleged ethical lapses has been virtually disbanded, after meeting only twice in four months on the matter, The Post has learned.

Of the four congressmen named to look into the powerful Ways and Means Committee chairman, only one remains - Alabama Republican Jo Bonner. The three others left the Rangel probe last month when they were "rotated" off the 10-member Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

The dormant investigation won't be jump-started until three incoming ethics committee members are assigned to the Rangel probe later this month.

Because the committee conducts its work in secret, it is not clear if any progress has been made on the Rangel investigation.

In the committee's recently released 100-page report on its work in the 110th Congress, only four paragraphs mention the Rangel probe, listing five alleged ethics breaches and noting that the panel had not been able to complete the investigation.

The panel has already missed Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Jan. 3 deadline for filing a final report on Rangel.

The rest of the Post’s story’s here.

The Post’s story doesn’t mention reports Speaker Pelosi plans to give the ethics committee a new deadline to complete its Rangel investigation no later then the end of the current century.

Rangel's attorneys have reportedly already agreed to the new deadline.

Hat tip: BN


1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rangel is speaking (on the House floor right now) about the necessity of the stimulus plan. Do not look for there to be any action on a Rangel probe - there will be the claim that the economy is in too much danger to be side-tracked by such an issue. However, there will be time to string up Karl Rove. Guess is depends on the color of one's party as to whether there will be any investigation or not.
cks