Lofgren Keeps Rangel Ethics Team Intact

By Molly K. Hooper and Susan Crabtree, The Hill

January 28, 2009

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the new ethics committee chairwoman, wants to maintain continuity in the investigation of several allegations against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).

Lofgren wants the same members who launched the Rangel investigation to review the charges against him — even though they were term-limited on the panel and are no longer members of it, according to a Democratic aide.

Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas), the former acting chairman of the panel, as well as Reps. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), were named to a pool of candidates who may be chosen to work on investigative subcommittees. These same members served on the investigative subcommittee formed last fall to look into charges against Rangel.

Green had previously said he was willing to continue his work on the Rangel investigation in order to provide continuity. It is also a sign of how delicately Democratic leaders are handling the Rangel matter.

Tapping the same members to handle it shows that Democrats are not trying to switch horses mid-race as a way to skew the process in the powerful Ways and Means Committee chairman’s favor.

At the beginning of each Congress, the Speaker and minority leader choose 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans to form the pool. These 20 members form a group akin to a jury pool, and the ethics committee can tap them to serve on investigative committees as the needs arise. The members of the pool can be current ethics committee members or simply rank-and-file lawmakers.