EDITORIAL: Protecting Rangel

Democrats took control of the House of Representatives three years ago promising to end the nod-and-a-wink that Republicans gave to their members’ ethical lapses. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would “drain the swamp.” She would “turn this Congress into the most honest and open Congress in history,” she told NBC after the 2006 election. “That’s my pledge — that is what I intend to do.”

Given that promise, why on earth is Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., still chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee?

The House ethics committee has been looking into a number of alleged ethics violations by Rangel for nearly a year. It has authorized nearly 150 subpoenas, interviewed 34 witnesses and reviewed more than 12,000 pages of documents … but has decided nothing.

Read more: (Editorial, “Protecting Rangel,” Chicago Tribune, 10/14/09)