Dems Can’t Dump Rangel’s Tainted Cash Fast Enough
Mar 3, 2010 16 Comments ›› Erik Wong
Charities around the country stand to gain thousands of dollars as House Dems begin to unload tainted donations from embattled Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), according to a Hotline OnCall survey.
So far, Dems who received contributions from Rangel have pledged to donate $320K to charity, according to spokespeople and news reports. Members will give back at least another $86K.
The ethically challenged Rangel, who was admonished last week by the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, has donated millions over the years to Dem candidates and causes. But now that he has surrendered his Ways and Means gavel, at least temporarily, the GOP is showing no signs of letting up their attacks on Dems who accepted his campaign cash.
And there is no shortage of members who will take heat: In office since ’71, Rangel has never won re-election with less than 89% of the vote. That means he uses the millions he raises every year goes to his colleagues facing far more difficult election campaigns.
Incumbent members of Congress seeking another term have accepted nearly $1.58M from Rangel, according to filings made with the FEC. That doesn’t include the millions Rangel has contributed to the DCCC throughout the years; as chairman of a major committee, Rangel’s dues are set at $500K this cycle, though he has given just $150K.
Though an increasing number of Dems have given contributions back to Rangel, or donated the money to charity, some members have only handed over a portion of the money they’ve received from the Ways and Means chairman. Reps. Larry Kissell (D-NC), Jerry McNerney (D-CA) and Dina Titus (D-NV) each made a show of giving back some of the money, but they have not returned all of it.
Titus, for example, has received $15K from Rangel since she began running for the House in early ’08. Titus returned just $1K of that money — equal to the amount given this year. Aides to several members said the rest of the money had already been spent in previous elections.
Hotline OnCall is keeping track of members who have benefitted from Rangel’s generosity, either through direct donations, money from Rangel’s PAC or joint fundraising committees and who GOPers are pressuring to return the money.
Check out our full chart after the jump.
We contacted offices of each member of Congress who took money from Rangel. Those who members who remained silent did not respond to phone or email messages. We’ll continue to update this list as we hear from more members.
MONEY FROM
MEMBER RANGEL RETURNED?
Altmire (D-PA) $21K
Arcuri (D-NY) $14K Charity
Barrow (D-GA) $33K
Bean (D-IL) $28K
S. Bishop (D-GA) $6K
T. Bishop (D-NY) $15K Money has been spent
Boccieri (D-OH) $59K No decision yet
Boswell (D-IA) $53K
Boyd (D-FL) $9K
Braley (D-IA) $7K
Bright (D-AL) $14K
Cardoza (D-CA) $7K
Carney (D-PA) $21K
Chandler (D-KY) $10K
Connolly (D-VA) $7K
Costa (D-CA) $2K
Courtney (D-CT) $26K
Cuellar (D-TX) $8K Charity
Dahlkemper (D-PA) $14K No comment
L. Davis (D-TN) $15K
Donnelly (D-IN) $21K
Driehaus (D-OH) $12K
Edwards (D-TX) $42K
Foster (D-IL) $14K Charity
Giffords (D-AZ) $21K Charity
Hall (D-NY) $21K
Halvorson (D-IL) $60K Charity
Heinrich (D-NM) $12K
Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) $17K
Higgins (D-NY) $11K
Hill (D-IN) $26K
Himes (D-CT) $16K Charity
Holden (D-PA) $19K
Israel (D-NY) $9K
Kagen (D-WI) $21K
Kanjorski (D-PA) $21K
Kilroy (D-OH) $22K Returning
Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) $14K Charity
Kissell (D-NC) $23K Partly returning
Klein (D-FL) $9K Charity
Kosmas (D-FL) $14K Charity
Larsen (D-WA) $24K
Maffei (D-NY) $82K No^
B. Markey (D-CO) $7K
Marshall (D-GA) $29K
Massa (D-NY) $74K
Matheson (D-UT) $45K
McMahon (D-NY) $70K
McNerney (D-CA) $21K Partly charity
Michaud (D-ME) $12K
Minnick (D-ID) $55K Charity
Mitchell (D-AZ) $28K Returning
C. Murphy (D-CT) $21K Returning
P. Murphy (D-PA) $19K
Nye (D-VA) $14K
Perriello (D-VA) $7K Charity
Peters (D-MI) $16K Charity
Pomeroy (D-ND) $30K
Rodriguez (D-TX) $21K
Ross (D-AR) $19K
Schauer (D-MI) $14K Charity
Schrader (D-OR) $7K
Shea-Porter (D-NH) $14K Returning
Shuler (D-NC) $14K
Space (D-OH) $21K Charity
Spratt (D-SC) $18K
Sutton (D-OH) $7K Charity
Stupak (D-MI) $7K
Teague (D-NM) $4k
Titus (D-NV) $15K Partly returning
Tsongas (D-MA) $7K Charity
Walz (D-MN) $21K
C. Wilson (D-OH) $12K Charity
Wu (D-OR) $5K
Yarmuth (D-KY) $12K Charity
Notes: A spokesperson for Rep. Dan Maffei (D-NY), a former aide to Rangel, says the campaign has no plans to return the money “at this time.”
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) returned $1K Rangel gave her campaign this year. A spokesman told a Stephens Media reporter the $14K Titus received for her ’08 campaign is spent and gone.
Update: Rep. Zack Space (D-OH) has donated the $21K he received from Rangel to charity. Rep. Debbie Halvorson’s (D-IL) campaign will donate $16K to charity; that’s the amount she received in direct contributions. Halvorson will keep money raised at a joint fundraiser with Rangel.
