Rangel Keeps Position After House Vote

Pay your taxes or step down.

That’s the message critics are sending to Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., chairman of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee and subject of a major ethics probe into alleged tax evasion and other violations.

House Republicans on Wednesday tried to pass a resolution to oust Rangel from his chairmanship pending an Ethics Committee investigation into a long and stinging list of alleged wrongdoing. The measure stemmed from a probe into Rangel’s alleged failure to pay his taxes and disclose income on multiple properties — as much as $1.3 million.

But House Democrats were quick to strike down the measure by a vote of 243 to 156. House Republicans refused to accept defeat of the resolution, and asked for a second recorded vote following the first. The reading of the resolution was interrupted several times, and at one point was challenged by Democrats before being put to a vote.

Read more: (“House Kills Resolution to Oust Rangel From Chair of Tax-Writing Committee,” Fox News Channel, 10/07/09)