New Tax Troubles For Rangel As Pelosi Refuses To Act

Well, that figures.

It seems that Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) has still more tax troubles beyond that which he's already announced (the $5,000 owed to both to New York and the IRS):

Among the new discrepancies:

_Rangel's papers over the past 10 years show no reference to the sale of a home he once owned on Colorado Avenue in Washington.

_The details of a property bought in Sunny Isles, Fla., are bewildering at best. The stated value changes significantly from year to year, and even page to page, from $50,000 to $100,000 all the way up to $500,000.

_Some of the entries for investment funds fluctuate strangely, suggesting that the person either didn't have accurate information or didn't fill out the paperwork correctly.

Rangel is the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and yet he's completely unaware of how the tax law operates when it comes to his own personal actions - such as the sale of a home and other real estate? It would appear that he's got quite a few real estate holdings that are unaccounted for in his tax records, which suggests a pattern of trying to bilk state and federal tax authorities.

Through it all, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) refuses to strip Rangel of his chairmanship, even though she's repeatedly claimed that she would oversee the most ethical Congress ever. Right. Keep up the great work Rep. Pelosi. You've done such a fine job steering Congress to its lowest ratings ever. Even the New York Times has to call for Rangel step aside as chair until the ethical mess is sorted out.

I don't think the Times goes nearly far enough. The tax issues are significant enough, in toto, to require federal and state investigations into whether this was not merely negligence, but willful fraud. We're talking about a pattern of tax avoidance that has gone on for more than a decade.

UPDATE:
The NY Times is now reporting that Rangel is planning to meet with Pelosi at some point. Well, how long will it take for that meeting to happen, and what exactly is he going to say? It's all a misunderstanding? Pelosi hasn't had a spine when it comes to ridding Congress of miscreants and others engaging in unethical or illegal behavior, so why expect her to start now.

Also, note that his constituents continue to give him standing ovations when he speaks, despite the fact that he says one thing and does another - screwing his constituents and all law-abiding taxpayers across the country.