February 25, 2010 10:24 pm
Yahoo! News (Reuters), “Rangel says ethics panel ruled against him”
Democrat Charles Rangel, the top tax writer in the U.S. Congress, was admonished on Thursday by a congressional ethics committee for taking corporate-funded trips to the Caribbean, a finding he said defied “common sense.”
The House of Representatives ethics committee concluded that Rangel broke the chamber’s gift rules in taking the trips but it did not immediately release its report. Rangel called a news conference after news accounts disclosed the findings.
Quoting from his copy of the report, Rangel said it found he did not know the trips in 2007 and 2008 were underwritten by corporations, but that two of his staffers did.
Yahoo! News (Reuters) article continues here.
View Rangel’s response VIDEO
February 15, 2010 8:08 pm
Yahoo! News (Reuters), “Democratic Sen. Bayh won’t seek re-election”
by Glenn Somerville
U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, a popular Democrat seen as having a good shot at a third term, said Monday he won’t run again because of the kind of bitter politicking that has put President Barack Obama’s whole agenda in jeopardy.
Bayh of Indiana said that “narrow ideology” was ruling lawmakers’ decisions, thwarting useful work at a time when a bipartisan approach was urgently needed, and sapping his desire to remain in Congress.
Bayh’s surprise decision underscored the Obama’s and Democrats’ problems in the often gridlocked Congress as well as the party’s difficulty heading into November’s election.
Yahoo! News (Reuters) article continues here.
