CNN

House Ethics Committee expands Rangel investigation.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The House Ethics Committee voted unanimously Thursday to expand its investigation of Rep. Charlie Rangel, one of the most powerful members of Congress.

The committee is now looking into Rangel's alleged failure to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of assets on mandatory congressional financial disclosure forms.

The prominent Democrat, whose district includes the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, has been under investigation for a year over several issues relating to financial impropriety. He has admitted to failing to pay taxes on $75,000 in income from a rental property he owns in the Dominican Republic.

Rangel heads the influential Ways and Means Committee - the lead body for writing tax law in the House of Representatives. He has said he is the victim of a smear campaign by some in the media.

Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The House Ethics committee announced Thursday it is looking into allegations of possible misconduct by members of Congress regarding The PMA Group, a now-defunct lobbying firm.

PMA, which was raided by the FBI last year, lobbied primarily on behalf of defense-industry clients seeking earmarks. The company and its clients donated campaign contributions to senior members of the House Appropriations Committee, including Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, and Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Indiana.

The Ethics Committee did not disclose which specific lawmakers were under review.

Read the rest of this entry »