FOR IMMETIATE RELEASE:
Congresswoman Shelley Berkley has campaigned on ending the culture of corruption yet she leads all members of congress in financial support to corrupt Congressman Charles Rangel D-NY.
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (July 24, 2010)- Congresswoman Shelley Berkley has contributed more financial support to disgraced Congressman Charles Rangel D-NY than any other member of Congress, according to The Center for Responsive Politics (available at http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/10/charles-rangels-support-wanes.html). “Congresswoman Berkley has repeatedly campaigned on ending what she has called the ‘culture of corruption’ in Congress and it is disappointing to find out while claiming to end corruption she was actively supporting and funding the most corrupt member of Congress,” said Rico White Campaign Manager for Kenneth Wegner.
On July 22, 2010 after nearly two-years of investigation a House committee determined Rangel likely violated numerous ethics rules including tax evasion and accepting illegal gifts. The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct took the rare step of creating a new panel to determine Rangel’s fate in Congress. In 2002 was the last time a similar panel was created for then Democratic Congressman James Traficant shortly before he was criminally charged and imprisoned for racketeering.
While Nevada leads the Nation in home foreclosures, unemployment, and bankruptcy, Shelly Berkley leads the Congress in supporting one of its most corrupt politicians. Due to election year politics, the investigation pressured Rangel to step aside as Chairman of The House Ways and Means Committee. Nervous politicians have also flocked to return money Rangel contributed to their campaigns, including Congresswoman Dina Titus. Berkley should join the bipartisan call for Rangel to resign. “It is difficult for Congress to focus on the enormous challenges facing our nation when corrupt members are focused on their next lobbyist paid vacation to the Caribbean,” said White.
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