Rep. Charles Rangel has barely wrapped his primary victory speech and already faces a new ethics charge — that he failed to properly disclose an all-expense-paid trip to China as part of his required financial filings.
His camp is already rushing to amend the financial documents, the New York Daily News reported. But the oversight is especially notable for Mr. Rangel in that he has a history of ethical missteps that included a 2010 censure by the House for taking a trip to the Caribbean on corporate donor dime.
This China trip came in August. Mr. Rangel was one of 10 lawmakers with the Congressional Black Caucus who accepted a paid trip to the country, which included stops in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The delegation also met with several high-ranking Chinese economic officials, the National Journal reported.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Rangel’s office, Hannah Kim, said the legislator has already asked that his staff amend his financial disclosure form.
“The historic CBC trip to China was fully approved by the House Ethics Committee and the congressman has taken immediate action to file necessary amendments,” Ms. Kim said, the New York Daily News reported.
Mr. Rangel won an extremely close primary fight against New York state Sen. Adriano Espaillat. The Harlem representative will now seek a win for his 23rd House term.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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