Ethics in the News | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Groups to sue to declare VP papers public

blaire — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 09:32:57 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // Several historians and open-government advocates said they will sue to declare U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's records public to prevent their destruction.

Norm Coleman's Campaign Conflicts?

blaire — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 09:02:25 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // John McCain and Sarah Palin weren't the only big winners at last week's Republican Convention. Behind-the-scenes, the convention was also a major boon for Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman and his political allies. Coleman helped bring the RNC to St. Paul--where he used to be mayor--and attended a dazzling array of fundraisers and closed-door parties for Republican donors. More»

Lawsuit: Prevent Cheney from withholding, destroying documents on his exit from office

blaire — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 08:30:44 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // Historians and scholars are among those joining a lawsuit aimed at preventing the Bush administration from destroying or withholding documents related to the role of the "most influential vice president in U.S. history," Dick Cheney, in forming public policy, the Washington Post reports in its Monday edition.

Lawsuit to Ask That Cheney's Papers Be Made Public

blaire — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 08:28:33 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // Months before the Bush administration ends, historians and open-government advocates are concerned that Vice President Cheney, who has long bristled at requirements to disclose his records, will destroy or withhold key documents that illustrate his role in forming U.S. policy for the past 7 1/2 years.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel had no angle in rent-cash flap - lawyer says

newsig — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 08:27:47 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // Labor lawyer Ted Kheel Friday defended Rep. Charles Rangel for not reporting $75,000 in rental income from a Caribbean vacation home on his tax returns.

Kheel said Rangel's failure to disclose the income from an oceanfront villa in the Dominican Republic was nothing more than an oversight.

"It could not have been more innocent," he said.

Tax Expert: Rangel Likely Won't Be Prosecuted

newsig — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 08:25:21 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // NEW YORK (CBS) ― Congressman Charles Rangel is being asked some tough questions about a villa he has owned since 1988 on the prized Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic. More»

Palin Won't Be Subpoenaed on Trooper-Gate

newsig — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 08:22:29 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // Even if she refuses to testify voluntarily, Sarah Palin will definitely not be subpoenaed as part of the Trooper-Gate investigation, Rep. Jay Ramras, a Republican on the committee overseeing the probe, just confirmed to TPMmuckraker.

Rangel Says He Didn't Know of Loan Terms

newsig — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 07:48:12 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) did not know that the Caribbean resort villa he purchased 20 years ago was financed with a no-interest mortgage from the developer and has generated $75,000 in income that he should have reported on tax and financial disclosure forms, his lawyer said yesterday.

Interest Was Waived for Rangel on Loan for Villa

newsig — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 07:45:49 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // Representative Charles B. Rangel paid no interest for more than a decade on a mortgage extended to him to buy a villa at a beachfront resort in the Dominican Republic, according to Mr. Rangel’s lawyer and records from the resort.

Ethics Group Asks Justice Department and IRS to Investigate Rangel's Unreported and Undisclosed Beach Villa Rental Income

newsig — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 07:40:23 -0500

8 Sep 2008 // FALLS CHURCH, Va., Sept 05, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Ken Boehm, Chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), today announced that the group had filed Complaints against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) with the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service.

Rangel is Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.