A defiant Rangel says ethics probers have found nothing

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Politico:

Rep. Charles Rangel was in a buoyant mood as he took the stage at his re-election kickoff in Washington Heights this afternoon, surrounded by a swath of Manhattan local and borough-wide pols (along with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Christine Quinn, three potential mayoral hopefuls in 2013).

The event was emceed by Manhattan Democratic Party chairman Keith Wright, a longtime Assemblyman.

He spent about half his speech talking about how the media had treated him and the focus on the investigations by House ethics probers into his taxes and other issues.

He also gave a classic Rangel line, a reminder of why he's been seen as a strong progressive for years but also why he has been a target or Republicans, when he talked about the need to fight "terrorists" whether they're in "the Mideast....(or) on Wall Street."

As for his own situation, he said: "I would normally believe, being a formal federal prosecutor, that if the allegations involve my conduct as a member of the House and there is a committee with Republicans and Democrats there, then that you refer to the committee. And if they’re so confused after 18 months that they can’t find anything, then that is a story.”

(This seemed to neglect that he did get a public admonishment in February after the House ethics committee found he violated House rules by taking corporate-sponsored Caribbean junkets).

He also said the had gotten commended recently for passing a breadth of legislation and yet no one focuses on it.

Here are some of the other key lines:



* “It is oil, oil, oil that is causing the blood of Americans to be spilled all over the Middle East.”


* “When are we going to stop the madness?”


* Suggesting the need for fair immigration reform, he said, "You can’t have a john and a prostitute and just arrest the prostitute.”

* “I stepped aside (as Ways and Means chairman) so that I would not be a target for the Republicans.”


Later, with reporters, Rangel took issue with a Daily News front page story about him comparing President Obama's words about the Iraq War to Dick Cheney's, and insisted he has respect for the president.

“He’s one of the greatest presidents, if not the greatest I ever met," he said. "Just ‘cause I have an issue with him doesn’t warrant the headlines."

He also refused to acknowledge his opponents, insisting he had none yet that he knew of because no one had filed ballot petitions yet (a process that begins with signature collections starting this week). And he said he would run as if it were a "close" race, but as for when he would leave his seat, he said, "When I get tired."
________

He's baaaaack...