HOUSE Republican Leader John Boehner

Washington, Sep 24, 2008 - House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after the House Ethics Committee today formed a special subcommittee to investigate the conduct of Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY):

“I am pleased the Ethics Committee has taken this rare and serious action.  Launching an investigation of this magnitude is not a decision Members of the panel have taken lightly, and frankly, it is not a decision Members of the House should take lightly.  The fact that Mr. Rangel’s conduct, much of which he has admitted openly and on the record, rises to such a serious level that a nearly-unprecedented special ethics subcommittee has been formed is just a further indication that it is time for Mr. Rangel to step aside from his leadership post of the Ways & Means Committee. 

“In public service, there is a time to put the interests of the American people before your own, and for Chairman Rangel, this should be one of those times.  During this time of economic crisis, it is not in our nation’s best interest to have the chairman of the House’s powerful tax-writing committee under investigation for unethical conduct related to his failure to comply with tax laws.  The American people deserve better than that, and I renew my call for Speaker Pelosi to ask Chairman Rangel to step aside from his post while the investigation proceeds.” 

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