Says to “Make Good” on Call for Rangel to Resign by “Holding Accountable the House Speaker that Protected Him”
July 27th, 2010, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today called on Idaho Representative Walter Minnick to oppose the re-election of Nancy Pelosi to the top post of House Speaker for what Wilson called “Pelosi’s continued cover up of Charlie Rangel’s repeated violations of the law.”
“It is Nancy Pelosi who put Rangel in his position. It is Pelosi who has defended him for more than a year. It is Pelosi who has imposed the radical agenda on the American people. If Representative Minnick is being honest he would pledge to vote for someone other than the person who has caused all this mess,” Wilson said.
“It is up to Representative Minnick to make good on his politically opportune call for Rangel to resign by holding accountable the House Speaker that has protected him,” Wilson added.
Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY) has been charged by the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct after it concluded its months-long investigation, according to the Hill. The Committee is expected to release its full findings on Thursday.
Previously, Pelosi has defended Rangel, saying that “he did not knowingly violate the rules,” as reported by the New York Times.
The imminent trial against Rangel has resulted in Congressman Minnick in calling for Rangel to resign, as reported by the IdahoReporter.com. Wilson said “the timing of Minnick’s call so close to the trial rings hollow. Pelosi has been slowing down the resolution of the Rangel scandals for months, and anyone truly committed to seeing justice in this case ought to find that reprehensible.”
Wilson cited several transgressions that he said “Nancy Pelosi has been protecting Rangel from”:
1) failure to report over $1 million in outside income and $3 million in business transactions as required by the House,
2) failure to disclose at least $650,000 in assets he had previously failed to list on his House financial disclosure forms,
3) failure to disclose to the IRS or on his financial disclosure forms $75,000 in rental income for a beach villa in the Dominican Republic,
4) violation of state laws by claiming three primary residences and broke municipal laws by maintaining four rent-controlled apartments,
5) violation of House rules by using congressional letterhead to solicit donations for an education center bearing his name at City College of New York, and
6) delinquency in paying his property taxes on two New Jersey parcels and failure to report the sale of a $1.3 million brownstone.
Said Wilson, “Representative Minnick cannot have it both ways. If he believes Rangel should resign in light of the overwhelming evidence that is being presented by the ethics committee, then he should oppose Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker who has protected him this whole time.”
Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.
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