Hall Gives Up Rangel Money

Rep. John Hall has joined a tide of House Democrats giving up campaign money from Rep. Charles Rangel because of ethics questions that forced the Harlem Democrat to surrender his post as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee last week.

Hall’s spokesman, Doug MacPherson, said Tuesday that Hall has decided to give his $21,000 in Rangel contributions to 10 nonprofit groups in New York’s 19th Congressional District, mostly food pantries and volunteer firefighter associations. Each organization will be given $2,100.

That decision should blunt criticism from the National Republican Campaign Committee, which has been carefully tracking House Democrats who have returned or donated to charity their “tainted campaign cash” and hammering those, such as Hall, who hadn’t done so. As of Friday, 30 Democrats had given up a total of $418,000, according to the committee’s tally.

Read more: (Chris McKenna, “Hall Gives Rangel Donations to Charity,” Times Herald-Record, 03/10/10)