Arcuri Calls on Rangel to Resign

By BRIAN TUMULTY

Gannett Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Rep. Mike Arcuri of Utica on Friday became the first Democrat in the New York congressional delegation to call for Rep. Charles Rangel's resignation.

With the fall elections approaching, a handful of House Democrats in closely contested races in states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky have called for Rangel to step down after the House ethics committee charged the 80-year-old Harlem Democrat with 13 violations of House rules.

"Congressman Rangel should think about stepping down because this situation is beginning to affect our ability to govern," said Arcuri, a former district attorney.

Arcuri is in a toss-up battle for re-election against businessman Richard Hanna in the 24th Congressional District covering parts of central New York and the Southern Tier.

"Only Congressman Rangel knows what, if anything, he did wrong,'' Arcuri said. "But there comes a time when the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. I think we are at that point right now.''

Rangel, the longest serving member of the New York delegation, stepped down as chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee earlier this year because of the ethics investigation.

The House ethics committee announced Thursday it was charging Rangel with using official House stationery to solicit donations on behalf of the Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York, failing to report income or pay taxes on a villa in the Dominican Republic, and using a rent-stabilized apartment as his campaign headquarters.

Committee members scheduled a September trial to decide what penalty, if any, to impose. The subcommittee that investigated the violations has recommended a reprimand, which is less severe than other options, such as censure or expulsion from the House.

The case could become political fodder for Republicans as they try to regain majority control of Congress.

"It's further proof Democrats are back on their heels,'' said Tory Mazzola, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Rangel's case will hurt Democrats because he's a high-profile figure, according to pollster Lee Miringoff of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

"Democrats can claim it's an isolated case of corruption, but it takes momentum away,'' Miringoff said. "What you don't want is to have August filled with anything that puts you on the defensive. August stories are hard because there's a not a lot else going on.''

Some New York Democrats - Arcuri and Democratic Reps. John Hall of Dutchess County and Tim Bishop of Suffolk County -began cutting ties to Rangel several months ago, treating donations from Rangel as tainted money and giving an equivalent amount to charity.

Hall and Bishop have not called on Rangel to resign, but they agree the charges are serious.

 "All of us in public service have a duty to live by the highest ethical standard,'' said Hall, a two-term Democrat from Dover in Dutchess County. "He should do what he thinks is right.''

Of the donations to charity, Hall said, "We decided to let a negative turn into a positive. We just thought we could do some good.''

Bishop, a four-term Democrat who represents eastern Long Island, began offsetting his Rangel contributions in May, giving two $5,000 donations to veterans groups. Bishop said he's still in the process of deciding which other charities should get donations.

Arcuri's campaign released a list of 25 organizations, including food banks and a little league, that have received donations.

Freshman Democratic Rep. Michael McMahon of Staten Island took a more nuanced approach. He made charitable donations to offset Rangel's contributions during the 2009-2010 election cycle, but not for the previous election cycle.

Freshman Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei of the Syracuse area, a former Rangel aide, is standing by his former boss and is keeping donations from Rangel's campaign and leadership PACs that the National Republican Congressional Committee estimates total more than $82,000.

Maffei said Friday he would have returned the money if Rangel had been charged with violating rules that govern campaign fundraising.

"I could give a couple of thousand to charity, but it wouldn't change my resume,'' Maffei said. "I can't change that I'm his friend.''

Maffei said he's "gravely disappointed'' by Rangel's "ethical lapses,'' but he said he can't separate himself from Rangel the way other New York Democrats have.

Republican congressional candidate Richard Hanna, who is running against Arcuri in the 24th Congressional District covering parts of central New York and the Southern Tier, said the Rangel case plays into the anti-incumbent sentiment among voters.

" I think in general it's bad for both parties,'' Hanna said. "The No. 1 problem I see in governments everywhere - local, state and nationally - is that public officials think they are living by different standards and are somehow above the law.''

Maffei agreed.

"Clearly there is an anti-incumbent sentiment out there,'' he said. "A lot of people don't know I've only been here for one term and haven't had a lot of time to change things.''

Freshman Republican Rep. Chris Lee of the Buffalo suburb of Clarence declined to venture into the debate over Rangel's next step.

"It's his own personal decision,'' he said.

He noted that the charges against Rangel involve actions that occurred "before my time'' in office.