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March 4, 2010

Carney campaign to donate Rangel funds

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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U.S. Rep. Chris Carney will send $21,000 from his campaign war chest to the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, keeping a promise that if embattled U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel were ever found to have violated House ethics rules he would return the money.

Carney’s campaign has received $21,000 from political action committees associated with embattled U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, 79, since the 2006 election cycle. His opponent in the 2008 election chided Carney for holding on to the money, and Carney said that Rangel has not been found guilty of any wrongdoings at the time.

But that changed last Friday when the House ethics panel released a report accusing Rangel, D-NY, of violating House gift rules in connection with a series of trips he took to the Caribbean.

The panel said that he had violated standards of conduct by accepting 2007 and 2008 trips to Caribbean conferences that were financed by corporations. It said it could not prove whether Rangel knew of the corporate payments but concluded that members of his staff knew about them — and the congressman was responsible for their actions.

Another probe is ongoing into alleged misuse of official Congressional stationary for fund-raising and for the use of a rent-controlled apartment. Rangel announced Wednesday that he was stepping down as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

Republican campaign officials once again began criticizing Democrats for holding on to campaign contributions that resulted from Rangel’s fundraising. Some, like Carney, 51, announced they were donating the money to charity.

To read the full story, see Friday's edition of The Times Leader.

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