Despite Ethics Violations, Boccieri Refuses to Part with Rangel Cash

Press Release

Despite last week's announcement from the House Ethics Committee that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y) has committed ethics violations, John Boccieri continues to refuse to refund or donate the nearly $60,000 in tainted campaign contributions he has accepted from Rangel. The embattled Congressman from New York has been the subject of a lengthy ethics investigation stemming from allegations that he engaged in improper use of taxpayer funds and filed fraudulent financial disclosures, among other charges. At least 27 Democratic House members have returned or donated Rangel's dirty money in recent months, including Ohio Democrats Mary Jo Kilroy and Zack Space, who each returned $21,000 in the corrupt cash earlier this year. However, to date John Boccieri has refused to return any of the $53,200 he has taken from Rangel.

"While John Boccieri hasn't spent much time listening to the people of the 16th district, he's apparently had plenty of time to hang out with Charlie Rangel and to line his campaign coffers with tainted money to fund the dirty campaign he's made clear that he intends to run. Considering his abysmal record in Congress, which has been defined by double-digit unemployment, reckless deficit spending and unwavering loyalty to Nancy Pelosi, the least John Boccieri can do for his constituents is to run a clean campaign funded by clean contributions. It is past time for Mr. Boccieri to follow in the footsteps of his Democratic colleagues and return every cent of Charlie Rangel's campaign contributions," Jim Renacci said today.

Between June of 2007 and February of 2008, Boccieri received a total of $9,000 from Rangel's National Leadership PAC and Rangel's campaign committee. In August of 2008, Boccieri accepted another $44,200 from the Rangel Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee that Boccieri shared with Rangel. In addition to accepting Rangel's tainted money, last fall Boccieri voted against a measure (H.R. 805) to immediately strip Rangel of his Chairmanship of the House Ways & Means Committee.

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