as exemplified by john kerry and dick lugar to get this done over the course of the next several weeks. all right. thu very much, everybody. i'm confident that we should be able to get the votes. keep in mind that every president since ronald reagan has presented an arms treaty with russia and been able to get ratification, and for the most part, these treaties have been debated on the merits. the majority of them have passed overwhelmingly with bipartisan support. there's no reason we shouldn't be able to get this done this time as well. so what you have is the president now -- good morning, everyone. what you were just watching is the president clearly pushing for action now on the new s.t.a.r.t. agreement, the nuclear arms agreement with russia. right now, we're at a place

where up until maybe yesterday, maybe the day before yesterday, it appeared that things were on track for moving forward with a debate and a vote on ratifying that treaty, but, yesterday, we learned from john kyl, senator john kyl that he would like a bit of a delay on negotiations, on conversations, on debate about that treaty until the new congress comes into place in january. clearly, that would make things a lot more difficult moving forward on that treaty. we will continue to follow developments on that story. it's an important one. good morning, everyone. i'm tony harris in new york. we begin with news happening right now. gm execs ring the opening bell on wall street and watch their brand new stock zoom. a house ethics panel is

weighing punishment for charlie rang rangel. all 33. of chile's famous miners are in the united states, headed to hollywood. they will be special guests on cnn heroes airing thanksgiving night. president obama is meeting next with a democrat leader of congress. the republican leadership was invited for the slurpee summit but cancelled. that will happen later this month. we expect tape of today's meeting in this hour. out of work in america. the number of people filing for first time unemployment benefits ticked up last week according to new figures. those jobless benefits rose to 439,000 overall. the number has been huving in that range for about a year now. economists say it needs to drop

below 400,000 to have an effect on the jobless rate. millions of you are watching what's happening on capitol hill. a bill introduced by house democrats would extend unemployment benefits by three months keeping 4 million people from falling off the rolls and running out of benefits but the bill has a price tag of $12.5 billion and that could make it a difficult sell. dana bash is following this story on the hill for us. why the delay? bottom line this for us. what is the holdup in extending these benefits? >> reporter: well, i'll tell you that the legislation democrats say is a compromise. they say they wanted to do this for an entire year and are trying to get them extended through the holidays, through february. the hold just is what you and i have talked about for months and months, a difference in philosophy. the republicans say they are not opposed to extending the

benefits. they just want to pay for them. don't want the money to add to the deficit. democrats say this is emergency spending and there should not be paid for. therein lies the difference. republicans feel they have the election results on their side where they feel many voters said stop spending money we don't have, and they feel even more emboldened right now. basically, this vote which we do expect in the house later today needs two-thirds majority to pass, and democrats have republicans simply don't think that's going to happen. >> so you're saying it may not pass in the senate, and the bottom line, is this debate over how to pay for it? >> reporter: the debate is absolutely how to pay for it. there's no question about it. it would -- they do not think it is likely to pass in the house because this kind of vote happened earlier in the summer and didn't pass, the one that needed two-thirds majority.

it is curious because the house democrats have a big majority, if they decided to do it this way. they are trying to prevent republicans from offering an alternative. they didn't have to do like this. they could have done it sort of through regular order so to speak and cast it with the votes they still have on the democratic side in the house. the senate is a whole different issue. it is still very, very difficult to see this getting through the senate. the answer to the questions that people out there have who are on unemployment and whether or not they're go getting it extended, it seems possible but unlikely. >> dana bash, thank you. here's what some of you are saying about the benefits extension on facebook. a lot of you are commenting on the 9 niners, those about to run out of the 99 combined weeks of state and federal benefits currently available. one person says this will be another game of chess and congress using us as the pawns.

what about the 6 million 9 niners who have fallen off the rolls? i need to keep a roof over my head. joseph says enough is enough. stop this craziness, get off your butts and take a job. at least you will be contributing to the economy and society. 99 weeks is enough. >> all 33 of chile's miners are in atlanta. they stopped on their way to hollywood. the miners will be special guests for cnn's heroes and all-star tribute. they will be celebrating in los angeles and southern california, seeing entertainment sites, going to hollywood boulevard and for many of them it's the first time they have been out of chile. cnn hero of the year will be revealed thanksgiving night. will sarah palin run for

president in 2012? the answer is maybe. here's what she told barbara walters. >> i'm looking at the lay of the land now and trying to figure that out if it's a good thing for the country, for the discourse and my family. >> if you ran for president, could you beat president obama? >> i believe so. >> okay. incumbent alaska senator lisa murkowski is claiming victory. she lost the republican primary to tea party backed joe miller and leads him in the general election by more than 10,000 votes with just a few hundred left to count. miller, though, has not conceded. >> i am still a republican. in alaska, eat way our election laws work, i did not choose to be an independent, say, for instance, as joe lieberman did. i am still a republican. i am still conferencing with the republicans. i retain my seniority i built as

a republican. >> miller suggests he'll call for a hand recount. he want to pursue this to ensure there's integrity and to ensure there's a consistent standard. what's a sky diver's most embarrassing moment? we'll show you when we go cross country in the cnn newsroom. we love a good implosion around here. this is or was the seneca bridge over the illinois river 75 miles southwest of chicago. that's pretty good, huh? imploded this morning and toppled into the water 48 feet below. a $24 million replacement bridge opened two weeks ago. p-a-d... p.a.d. isn't just poor circulation in your legs causing you pain. it more than doubles your risk of a heart attack or stroke. i was going to tell you. if you have p.a.d., plavix can help protect you from a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps keep blood platelets

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okay. time to go cross country right now. pictures and news from around the nation. we start in san francisco. hundreds of students clash with police. the trouble started when the protesters surged toward the

police line. police ended up using pepper spray. students were protesting a proposal to raise fees and change retirement benefits for employees. in prince georges countsty, virginia, police have a clever way to warn people about theft during the holiday season. they're issuing gotcha cards to people who leave their cars unlocked or leave valuables in plain view. in florida, a veteran sky diver goes off course and lands in a tree. firefighters had to use a ladder truck to reach this guy al griffiths. he wasn't hurt september for his pride maybe. >> there's just a combination of really bad luck where i landed how i landed in the trees and stuff like that. it's embarrassing as heck, and you'll be ribbed for it. new york congressman charlie rangel speaks out ahead of a hearing to recommend his

punishment. the ethics committee found him guilty of house rules. brianna keilar is joining us now. what is the congressman saying this morning? >> reporter: well, tony, he's sort of giving us a preview of what he's going to say at this sanctions hearing, basically, sentencing. charles rangel boycotted his trial but he's not going to be boycotting the hearing that starts at 12:00 eastern and he has 30 minutes to speak and his publicist tells me he's going to use that time and it's going to be dramatic. here is a preview from the hall a short time ago. >> i want to make it abundantly clear that no matter how many mistakes i've made and how apologetic i am, the question was asked of counsel, was there evidence of corruption, and when he responded no, there's no evidence of corruption or

self-enrichment and that i was overzealous and sloppy. >> reporter: so he's talking about what the prosecution, ethics committy lawyer said in his trial, that he didn't believe there was evidence of corruption but that very same lawyer also said sloppiness isn't a defense and he believes there are violations of house rules. >> brianna, take us through the possible punishments. >> reporter: there are a number of possibilities. the most severe would be expulsion from the house of representatives. this is something that would require a two-thirds vote by the entire house and seen as very unlikely. then there's this concept of a censure. this is a pretty serious rebuke. it would require rangel to go into the well of the house of representatives right there at the front of the house of representatives and be verbally rebuked. you can imagine. that's publicly humiliating and

also a reprimand, and finally, he could be fined. this is what we're waiting for this proceeding to happen. this committee to deliberate and find out exactly what the punishment is. >> so, brianna, we get the opening of the hearing. we are likely to hear from congressman rangel, and then the committee will make a decision, correct? >> reporter: we will be hearing from the top republican and democrat on the committee. we're going to be hearing from the chief counsel to the ethics committee, the prosecution that presented the case, and then hearing from mr. rangel himself. then they go behind closed doors. >> we will have a lot of that for you here on the cnn newsroom. three little letters with a big meaning, ipo, for those uninitiated in wall street lingo. it is initial public offering.

you hear the revving of that engine there? yeah, that is the sound of a 2001 camaro, in case you didn't know, general motors executives ringing the opening bell, the company selling stock for the first time since declaring

bankruptcy. let's go to the new york stock exchange where gm shares are trading. alison kosic is on the floor. how is the stock doing so far? >> hey, bottom line, shares are higher right now for shares of gm, up to 35.5. you have to remember the ipo was offered at 33. so that's about a 7 1/2 increase from where we started today. i want to show you where the home of general motors is as far as wall street is concerned. right here to my right. you can tell because of the little blue emblem. we know the logo, gm, that was plastered up there today, welcoming gm back to the new york stock exchange. take a walk with me, and i'll show you where the shares are being traded. we have charles behind the desk here, busy taking in the trades. just to give you an idea of how busy he is, we looked at the volume of the shares coming through here. the shares of gm make up about a

third of all trades coming through here right now. >> so we have something of an historic day unfolding. how is this translating to the broader markets? >> it's definitely affecting the broader market, really giving it a huge jump right now. the dow jones industrial average up over 100 points and overall giving kind of a renewed sense of optimism back to the new york stock exchange. you could feel it from the moment of opening bell rang, and when we heard the engine of the 2011 camaro revved. before the opening bell, he rolled out some of the vehicles right in front of the group here. when the opening bell rang, i want to show you what the trading post looked like. there were over 100 people here trading these shares like they did in the old days, calling out shares through their voice and electronic trading, how things are done.

it was like a flash to the past there of how things are done. >> to the great days of gm. that's significantly. we're talking about what's happening with the new york stock exchange, big board, that's a significant buying spree. we're up over 100 points. good to see you. tiger woods is reaching out and getting socially connected again. stay with us to find out what he's tweeting about. e, wisconsi. that first job launched my career. since i've been with the company, i've been promoted ten times over the span of 11 years. today, i'm a divisional learning and development manager. we can actually help people develop in their own careers. my job allows me to make a difference in the lives of almost 100,000 associates in the northeast. if you think about it, that's almost 8 times the size of my hometown. my name is nick and i work at walmart. ♪ my name is nick and i work at walmart. boss: just going over how geico helps people save in even more talkways... ...with good driver discounts, multi-car discounts, defensivdriver discounts... and i work at walmart. boss: just going over how geico helps people save in even more talkways...

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italy arrested one of its most wanted mobsters, antonio inovini was arrested after being on the run for 14 years. he was convicted of murder in absentia and sentenced to life in prison. this man was committed on all counts for his role in the killings. he was the first to be tried in a civilian court, and it was seen as a test for the obama administration, really, which said it would try terror suspects outside of military tribunals. >> gilani is not going anywhere. he is looking at at least 20 years, probably life in prison. it's not like this guy is walking out the door. however, this issen extremely disappointing verdict for the obama administration, and it's a reminder that when you go to

civilian courts, federal district courts, you don't get a guaranteed result. this judge excluded important evidence, which happens, and there was almost an acquittal here. the rules of our system are, military condition, wherever, if there has been torture, you cannot use it in our legal system and that's not going to change. fortunately, there's lots of other evidence against these people but the fact is torture is wrong, our legal system believes it's wrong, and we are never going to allow the products of torture in any part of our legal system. >> gilani is facing a minimum of 20 years in prison. see you in just a couple of minutes. tiger woods working on a new iming a. he is on twitter now, and we will show you what we believe he is tweeting.

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tiger woods is -- we are going back to the jackson five. nothing wrong with that. max kellerman, tiger woods is trying to get socially connected again. he's on twitter now, and here's what he's saying, yep, it's me. i think i like this twitter thing. you guys are awesome. thanks for all the love. the twitter account apparently part of tiger's new campaign to rebuild his shattered image, sure. he is taking to the air waves, talking about the impact of his affairs and his divorce. have a listen. >> it was very difficult for -- certainly difficult for me and certainly for my kids. there were feeling the effects of it, unfortunately. it was difficult on everyone, and, hey, i caused it.

i take full responsibility for my actions, and here i am. >> max kellerman is with us now. max, what do you think of this? i generally speaking am not a fan of big media blitzes. i understand it in the movie business because you need the opening weekend but for tiger, it feeled managed again, manufactured again, a little less than authentic. i understand the idea. what are your thoughts? >> especially if you are trying to rehabilitate your corporate image in a sport like golf because the idea is to be as milktoast as possible, and his original press conference, not a press conference because it was staged. i had little expectations along the lines of what you are discussing. i was impressed. i felt there was a level of authenticity to the proceedings that i was not expecting. once you got past the charity

work and he talked about buddhism because in this country you are supposed to talk about jesus, not buddha. maybe that reflected he's a global brand as much as he's an american brand but i also got the feeling that he was more authentic than i thought he was going to be back then. >> that's the path that i'm curious to watch to see if he pursues because i will tell you -- and you know this to be true in your own work. if you go to these clinics where tiger participates, he can be very engaging. he does not come off in those setting as the kind of standoffish guys as when he's the trained assassin between the ropes. if he can bring more of that tiger, right? >> that's the thing they have to manage because you see from his behavior, not so much the affairs because that can be planned but the text messages, that he has an impulsive

component to his personal. when you are tweeting, you better have your managing team say, before you send the tweet, let's look at it six times. he's not going to be impulsively shooting from the heart. >> don't you think he'll have a team? >> absolutely. >> we have seen where the whole twitter thing can blow up in your face. >> sure. >> he will have folks managing this. >> you're not going to see the genuine spontaneous side you are looking for. >> here's the other thing, the reason i am concerned about the media blitz, "newsweek," mike and mike on the radio, and twitter reengaging there. all of this coming back for tiger, everything comes back if he does what, max? >> if he wins. >> you don't have to go out and wear the banner, i'm the nice guy. all you have to do is get your game back. what are your prospects for him in 2011?

because he's going not only through this personal crisis but going through swing changes, and we've seen that before in his history. >> equipment changes, really. equipment change is the thing, going back to '02 or something like that, and he went through by his standards a dry spell. i also think that we are now starting to see or going to start to see the tiger woods' effect which is to say golf was not a sport taken up by particularly athletic types, not the sort of thing where a father and son could do anything. put a golf club in his hand, and then tiger came along and it changed it. from the time he won the masters by a billion strokes, till now, already been ten years so the kid 10 years old at the time, soon we are going to be seeing real athletes partying anticipating in the sport.

>> auth tintic tiger, winning tiger, and the thing is for him to get his life together and live a life for his kids. great to see you in new york city. with max kellerman. >> tony's in town. unbelievable. >> where's the two-shot? i screwed that up. six months ago, our jim acosta hopped aboard a commuter train to ask them what they taught about the midterm election. now the election is over and jim's back on the train.

six months ago, jim acosta got on a commuter train between long island and manhattan to ask a regular bunch of guys -- a terrific piece -- about the election, and he got a lot of straight talk. now that it is behind us, jim went back on the train to hear what they had to say. >> reporter: it's been six months since we caught up with them. evening commute home hasn't changed. and, you know, they do make beer in 12 ounce cans. >> not in penn station apparently. >> reporter: times have. a lot has happened in the last six months. >> a lot has happened. >> reporter: so we reunited with tom mcginley, john lori, kevin sullivan and andy garger for their lively mix of political views on how to get the country back on track.

first up, 2010 election. >> obama called it a shellacking. did he deserve it? >> partially, yeah. there was a lot of focus on a health care bill which i'm not sure america fully understands. >> you were one of the lone obama voters. there are stealth ones here. >> some stealth voters. >> reporter: to them the election was about who is driving the train in washington. >> gridlock can be a good thing depending on where things are going. >> reporter: tie things up? >> for a couple years. >> reporter: until 2012 when the president is up for re-election. >> i didn't vote for him, but i don't underestimate his chances for re-election. >> reporter: what about the alternatives. have any of you guys watched the new sarah palin reality shows? >> sarah palin and reality is kind of an oxymoron. >> she could win the primaries. ? >> reporter: you don't think so?

>> i disagree. >> i think the governor of minnesota has the best shot. >> reporter: you heard people talk ability michael bloomberg. >> he's a viable candidate. a wealthy third party person who wanted to fund his own campaign. >> reporter: or she could go with kevin's choice. >> rent is too damn high. >> i went with the guy from the rent is too high. >> reporter: you voted for the rent is too high? >> i cast a protest vote. >> reporter: may he will run for president and all of our problems will be solved. >> he did not vote for the rent is too damn high party representative? >> he did. >> we love these guys, all right. box them up and take them with you around the country. here's the thing. they're already thinking about 2012. >> they are. >> we have literally just come out of the midterm elections and you would think folks need a moment to decompress but this

group, smart guys, well-read, already thinking about 2012? >> they are because they think the past election was about obama. like him or don't like him. so they are thinking about who can take him down, if anybody can take him down in 2012. surprisingly, they didn't come up with a lot of the great answers. they want to see who is going to throw their hat in the ring. >> republicans take control of the house next year. >> right. >> are these guys talking about how life changes moving forward what needs to be done, the priorities in balancing the budget and how we do that? >> this was really striking to me because a lot of people are worried about the economy and jobs right now. these guys are very much worried about the deficit. >> they have jobs. is that why they're not concerned -- >> a lot work in financial industry. they were sweating bullets six months ago but they would like to see the country get its

fiscal house in order. whether we should cut entitlement programs, some of the sacred cows on the table right now. >> is that tomorrow's piece? >> tomorrow's piece including their idea for the next beer summit, if there is one. two words, man cave. >> man cave. i love that concept. appreciate it. a taiwanese news report on the airport patdown policy goes viral.

checking live pictures from our tower cams for you right

now, los angeles. boy, this is a beautiful shot. getting ready to welcome those rescued miners from chile, the men who are national heroes in their homeland will be arriving in l.a. in the next hour. they will attend a cnn heroes and all-star tribs this sunday. a beautiful mid-november day on south beach in miami. yum, yum. eat it up. are you showing up on time? >> i'm here, where are you? >> but when it comes time to head inside to watch the miami heat play basketball, a lot of fans aren't showing up on time. so the team is putting some heat on fans to arrive earlier, telling them, it is time to fan up, miami. this week before thanksgiving, a nasty one in the pacific northwest. a pacific coast storm dumped heavy snow in washington state and knocked out power to tens of

thousands of hopes and businesses. where is rob marciano? tracking the storm for us. good morning. >> good morning to you. nasty stuff rolling into the northwest, and really just the beginning of a trend that's going to bring even colder air in there. we could see another few inches of snow piling up on top of what they have seen. total accumulations upwards of 30 inches. rest of the country looking a little bit more quiet. i do want to point out what the trend is going to be for next week, warmer to the south at least temporarily. up here, drastic numbers as far as what temperatures are going to be below average, 10 to 40 degrees below of a vach. some of that air by thanksgiving will be getting closer towards the eastern u.s. we do have some rain in high elevation snows pestering the folks outwest. we do have an hour and five

minute delays at san francisco international. we are looking at a little bit of light rain across parts of the east. this is the storm system in the heartland yesterday. light rain, and some over chilly, dry area, and in rochester, they are reporting a little bit of ice pellets. that's the latest from here, tony. yesterday, we have been showing diggers. santa taking a digger in the parking lot. >> here's the thing. when we get together in these moments, rob, we can almost guarantee a face plant. today it's this dirt piker out with his buds camping somewhere. >> now, what we can't guarantee that nobody gets hurt. we wish we could. >> ouch. >> we don't know if it was a big rock. we don't know -- can we do it in

slow motion or something? have some. >> yeah. >> yeah, all right. >> it's painful to watch. no more. we hope he's okay. >> from nexttv in taiwan, rob, a computer animated version of the airport patdown controversial here in the united states. this is a real news report, folks. >> they've done this stuff before. >> they really do a good job with it. they do this often. it is poking a lot of fun as you can see at how upset some of us over the new body scanners but the truth is there is a serious new trend behind this video. we have that back story in a couple of minutes.

a moment ago, we were showing you the best video out of taiwan making fun of americans in the tsa line. next media is a chinese media conglomerate. they produce animated news clips in realtime, and it is very popular in taiwan. think of it as a souped up version of an artist's rendering. some say animation has no place in journalism. that's been said about bloggers, too, right? back to washington, now, and

sand dro endo. sandy. >> well, here are our top stories today. gm is on track to make history once again offering its stock for sale on wall street. the initial offering is set to raise more than $20 billion, almost 12 billion of that will go back to u.s. taxpayers who bailed out gm last july. 33 rescued chilean miners and five of the men who saved them are bound for hollywood to attend the tapes of cnn heroes, an all-star tribute. as the hajj pilgrimage draws to a close, muslims celebrate the festival of sacrifice. these believers have gathered in moscow for sacrificial ceremonies. we are back in a moment with all of i don't you are political updates. ♪

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a meeting at the white house between the president and party leaders. dana bash part of the best political team on television live from capitol hill. what's crossing right now? >> reporter: what's crossing is the meeting going on as we speae all know the meeting that would have taken place today was a bipartisan meeting with republicans. it's the first time the democrats have met, but i can tell that you very interesting moment before the house majority leader, steny hoyer, left for the white house, he told reporters in no uncertain terms he blamed republicans for the break down of the meeting today. he said i can never remember an instance when president bush asked leadership to come down and meet with him and we didn't accommodate our schedules for that request. a little bit of a biting comment there. next on the ticker, the senate democratic leader harry reid is saying now that he will in fact

try to bring up defense authorization bill that includes the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. he'll try to do that the week after thank giving. even getting that piece of legislation on the senate floor is going to be a hurdle, it's likely going to need 60 votes to do that, so democrats are trying to work on some republicans who agree that the appeal is necessary, but they really want to open debate. that will an challenge because this is a lame duck session without a lot of time. and last item on the ticker is about president george h.w. bush, the 41st president of the united states. he is going to receive the highest civilian honor in the land. he is going to be getting the medal of freedom award. and he's one of many actually the white house announced will get that award early next year. one of my favorites, bill russell ises also getting it. >> the great center for the boston celtics. held down all those championship

teams. dana, good to see you. your next political update in an hour. and for the latest political new, cnnpolitics.com. a homeless man returns a college student's backpack containing $3300 in cash. >> not something i wish anybody would have to go through because that's rough places. i think could have been taken care of, fact of the matter is it's not my money, i didn't earn it. >> i know you're asking yourself the question, what would you have done? we will tell you how dave tally tracked down the backpack's owner.

if you were clicking on it, posting about it, derrick dodge is tracking for us. here is what's trending online. kfc is teaming up with twitter on a scholarship contest? >> that's right. a lot of companies are going to social media to get their message out and find new and interesting ways to reach consumers, right? this is actually a really cool thing, i think. on kfc is using twitter to give out $20,000 to high school seniors. well, one high school senior who is lucky enough to whip the contest. they're asking people to tweet why they deserve to win the scholarship. so here's one from chelsea. i picked out a few. she says my father died when i was eight. i want to attend college and make him proud. a scholarship will help make that dream possible. she used the hash back kfc scholar. that's what you have to tweet within your message to be able to be considered. they will eye pick one. i think they're announcing their winner on december 1st. so you have until november 26th

to send out and hopefully win $20,000. >> but you have to have terrific grades, right? it's not just here's my story. you have to be a scholar, correct? >> you have to be a high school senior and just have to be able to -- they want to know how you exemplify colonel sanders' commitment to education and enrichment of communities. so not about grades. all about your character tweet. >> what is it that i'm looking at now in. >> this is one from cody. he says i deserve the $20,000 for it shows anyone no matter how they dress or what they residen listen to can be rewarded for being smart.>> we have a big story that we'll be following, it is congressman charlie rangel, the ethics committee, at least the subcommittee is meeting. we'll hear from the congressman and, if you would, will you sort of fill us in on what people are

tweeting about as that story unfolds in the next hour of cnn newsroom? >> yeah, i'm taking a look through twitter to search for charlie rangel tweets. he was a big trending topic earlier this week. i think you'll see people will start tweeting about him. >> terrific. see you next hour. coming up in the next hour, before charlie rangel's colleagues decide how he should be punished for violating house rules, the embattled congressman speaks out. that should be high drama at high noon. plus, why is cnn's anderson cooper getting all dressed up like the easter bunny? wait for it. wait for it. wait for it. a bit longer. choose one of three premium seafood-and-steak combinations... all under $20. get succulent lobster... paired with our eight-ounce wood-grilled sirloin... tender snow crab legs and sirloin... or new chardonnay grilled shrimp and sirloin... all with salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits.

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we're going to show you some pictures in just a minute of charlie rangel as he makes his way. these are live pictures now? okay. charlie rangel in just moments will get an opportunity to speak before the house ethics committee which is convening at the top of the hour to discuss his punishment for violating house rules. this is a man, a 40 year long career recently reelected who is a hero in his district, harlem, new york. what will he say? he has said i wasn't corrupt. overzealous, yes. sloppy, yes, but i wasn't corrupt. what will he say in his moments

to come? the hearing scheduled to start in minutes and there a live picture. how dramatic is this. of the hearing room. congressman charlie rangel. photographers snapping pictures. what must be going through his mind right now. a number of options available to committee in term of a punishment, a fine. a kren sure, is that possible? expulsion, is that possible? it's certainly possible, but what's likely to bes punishment? expulsion, is that possible? it's certainly possible, but what's likely to bes punishment? let's bring bee an marianna keis we watch these pictures. this is pretty dramatic stuff.

your thoughts. >> reporter: this is dramatic. you see him being pretty serious as he's reviewing his remarks and it also makes me wonder because he'll have 30 minutes, his publicisted told me he's expected to use that 30 minutes, but he doesn't always stick to his prepared remarks. he speaks off the cuff and he definitely speaks in a pretty dramatic way. >> he really does. >> reporter: and so we are expecting that this is going to be sort of -- we say that charlie rangel has a flare for the dramatic, and this is such an important part of his career. he seems a little somber here. he put out a written statement earlier that kind of struck me. he was talking about all of the different things that he's done over the course of his life that he's gone from being a high school dropout to it ultimately the chairman of the powerful house ways and means committee. the tax writing committee. this is one of the most important committee posts in congress. and of course he recently

stepped down from that post amid all of the fallout from these ethics -- these alleged ethics violations. and here we heard earlier from an ethics subcommittee that he is guilty on 11 of 12 of those counts of violating house rules. so what are we waiting for now? if you were to call -- if this were to be like a court proceeding, this would be the sentencing phase. they call it a sanctions hearing. and charlie rangel is there by himself without a lawyer. representing himself. the worst thing that could happen would be this committee saying he should be expelled from the house of representatives. we're thinking that's unlikely. that's normally reserved for a member of congress who has been convicted in criminal proceedings. rangel certainly has not been. but then there's other varying degrees whether censure, when reprimand, maybe he could face a pine. but this is really going to be the moment where we hear him speak and we get to see the

situation unfold. >> brianna, i have to tell you, i can't take my eyes off this scene. if you would, talk us through the order of business here. there is some business before charlie wrachi charlie rangel begins his remarks. >> reporter: we'll be hearing from the top democrat, from the chairwoman on the ethics committee. she'll be speaking maybe for a few minutes. would we'lls also hear possibly from the top republican on the committee. and then i believe we may be hearing from charlie rangel first. he's going to be able to put forth what's called an argument and hes has 30 minutes to do t. we'll also be hearing from the top lawyer on the ethics committee, blake chis ham.

and let's remind people, this has been a long time coming, two years that charles rangel has been under investigation for a myriad of offenses ranging from not paying taxes on income he received from a rental villa that he ownses from the dominican republic. remember this is a guy who was in charge of the tax writing committee. also for soliciting donations for a college center that bears his name and soliciting donations using congressional letter head and congressional staff time and doing so with companies that had business before his committee. and i think to just kind of look at the scene here, we watched him earlier this week, tony. he's very serious. doesn't that sort of strike you that he's very somber? when he walked into the beginning of his trial earlier this week, he had a smile on his face. it was that kind of que

quintessential jovial rangel. and we're seeing someone here who seems to recognize the heaviness of what could happen here. >> i have to tell you, there is so much we've got scheduled for the program today, but, again, i can't take my eyes off this and this scene, this solitary man in this hearing room walking around, talking to people, considering his remarks. cameras whirling. and there he is without an attorney. there he is a gsingle solitary man. i wish i knew what he was thinking at this moment. this was a hearing that was supposed to get under way five minutes ago. the members of the committee have not entered the room yet. they have to know that charlie rangel is in the room.

the dynamics of will playing out in such a way i'm fascinated by it. >> reporter: he is there all by himself. this is pretty significant that he doesn't -- >> john lewis has just entered the room and is in our camera shot now. wow. >> reporter: yes, and is sitting next to him. and i wasn't expecting that. but this is one of the things that rangel highlighted today is his past as a participant in a civil rights movement and you see him there with one of his friends who also has this very important background. and so kind of getting some support there from this other very prominent member -- senior member of congress. but one of the things rangel has protested this trial when they

spoke to him and talked about how it would be another million dollar worth of legal fees to take him through the remainder of this process, he said they couldn't guarantee payment and they decided to withdrawal their services. the law firm just said they were trying to preserve the relationship, they didn't want to terminate their relationship with rangel. rangel said i'm not going to sit here for this trial if i'm not going to have a lawyer, but of course that ethics subcommittee decided to continue on, forge ahead. they presented evidence and really about half of a day earlier this week. and then they deliberated for part of one day, part of another day. and then decided that he was guilty on 11 of those 12 counts. but this is quite the queescene. he's a man playing the waiting

game. and you see across from him, that is blake chisham. >> the hearing was to start at 12:00. the congressman was in the room early. and -- okay. here we go. here we go. and as the committee members take their place, would you tell us who is a part of this committee and, again, just run through the order of business very quickly before we get down to business. >> reporter: the woman you see right there, she's the chairwoman of the ethics committee. walks behind her was congress mana man mccall who served on the jury as tody whether or not he was jury. and to the left, you're seeing joe bonner, he's the top republican. and those are the two that we're

expecting to hear statements from as we begin this. >> i'd like the record to reeffect that all ten members of the committee are present and to note also that the chairs is authorize to recess the committee at any time p. this hearing of the committee on standards of official conduct in the matter of representative charles b. rangel will come to order. when i designated the meets of the sub committee to consider the statement of alleged violations in this matter, i noted that the code of government ethics states clearly that a public office is a public trust. it was our responsible to determine whether representative rangel 's conduct met that standard. it was our obligation to act impartially as finders of fact and law and the members of the subcommittee fulfill that responsibility and met that obligation. we did so fairly, honestly and without bias. the subcommittee did not prejudice the allegations against representative, pre-judge the allegations

against representative rangel. indeed the subcommittee did not find all of the alleged counts to be proven. but iltly we found that his conduct failed to meet the ethical standards that apply to all members of the house. those standards apply equally to those of us who have the privilege of representing our communities in the house for the first time and to our most senior colleagues. on november 16th of this year, the subcommittee in the matter of representative rangel determined that 11 of the 13 counts in the statement of alleged violations in this matter were proven by clear and convincing evidence. under committee rules, when the subcommittee concludes that one or more counts have been proven, it becomes the responsibility of the full committee to determine whether to recommend disciplinary action regarding representative rangel and, if so, what form of sanction would be appropriate. the committee has the option to take disciplinary action on its own initiative or to recommend that the full house do so.

the purpose of this hearing is to allow both representative rangel and committee counsel to share their views with the member of the economity as to what sanction would be appropriate in this matter, if any. as we begin, it it is important to bear in mind that the purpose of the ethics process is not punishment, but accountability and credibility. accountability for the respondent and accountability for the house itself. when a member has been found guilty, he must be held accountable for the could be document, but it is equally important that the outcome demonstrate the credibility of the house of representatives. by investigating conduct that has proven to violate that standard, we maintain the integrity of the house and the trust of the public in this institution. the committee may recommend a range of sanctions. our rules provide some general guidelines to follow in

recommending a sanction, for example, a letter of repru value may be issued by the commit it on its own in addition tip before other sanctions require action by the full house. among these are rules to indicate that reprimand is appropriate for serious violations, censure is appropriate for more serious violations, and expulsion is appropriate for the most serious violations. further, both the committee and the house itself are guided by the precedence of the house. for example the house has in it history which speexpelled only e members. three for disloyalty during the civil war and two after being convicted of felonies befo. findings of violations should not be the basis for recommending a sanction. instead we're required to provide the respondent with an opportunity to share their views about disciplinary action. in reaching our decision, it is imperative that we act in a fair

and even handed manner. i note that today's hearing is open to the public and although our deliberations will take place in executive session, our colleagues in the public will have the opportunity to hear the views of the parties regarding an appropriate sanction at this haerg. both representative rangel and committee counsel have previously been advised of the guidelines for this hearing and as with any other phase of this process, the respondent may seek to waive this hearing. he's chosen to be here today and he has the right to share his views on the appropriate sanction with us. and should he wish to do so, we will hear him out or his representative and take his opinion into consideration in our deliberations. the parties will be each allowed 30 minutes to present their views to the committee. although they are not required to do so, they may submit

written briefs for the committee's consideration and if they do so, those findings will be included in the record. if a written request for a witness is made, witness testimony may be allowed by a majority vote of the committee. neither party has to this point filed a written request seeking to permit witness testimony. after we've heard from the parties, members will be permitted under the five minute rule to ask any questions they may have following the print ta presentations. we will then adjourn to executive session where we will deliberate and by majority vote decide what disciplinary, to recommend. our decision will be announced publicly and the basis for our conclusionses will also be explained in a public report to the house of representatives. with that, i would ask my colleague, the ranking member, joe bonner, whether he would

like to make a brief opening statement. >> thank you, madame chair, for the opportunity to say a few words. we're nears the end of what has been a long, difficult and unpleasant task. and let me speak for just a moment about what makes this so unpleasant. i know for a fact that many newly elected member of congress on both sides. aisle have been welcomed to capitol hill by this bigger than life gravelly voice of charlie rangel. who would put his hand on their shoulder and say welcome to capitol hill.who would put his shoulder and say welcome to capitol hill. so before i go any further, i'd personally like to that you think, madame chair, ranking member mccall, and all of the members of the adjudicatory subcommittee for the work that you meet completed earlier this.

special thanks are also in order for the entire committee staff as well as those who were involved in the investigative phase of this matter which regretfully but in-avoidbly lasted for almost two years. individually and collectively, we have shown what the chair woman stated on tuesday was our moral obligation, to act with fairness, led only by the facts and the law as we attempt to discharge our duties. as most everyone in this room knows, the work of this committee is often mundane and almost always done out of sight. we give advice and education to members of congress and their staffs so that they can know what they can and can't do to be in compliance with the rules of the house. we look into matters that have come to our attention to see when or not a member has crossed

any inappropriate line. and as the american people have witnessed this week and in recent months, as these rare but not unprecedented public proceedings have occurred, we have once again demonstrated that your elected representatives can deal with an obviously uncomfortable but absolutely necessary charge that comes to us from the constitution itself which requires that each house of congress maintains the responsibility to punish its members for breaking either the rules of the house or the laws of our land. for disorderly behavior and for bringing discredit to this, the people's house. as an aside, i found it especially iconic and troublesome that on the very day that almost 100 newly elected members of the 112th congress are arriving in washington for their freshman orientation, in

it another room just a few steps away was a man who once wielded one of the most powerful gavels in town p. and at one time was one of our most highly regarded colleagues. and yet who was showing so little regard and respect either for the institution that he has claimed to love or for the people of his district in new york that he has claimed to proudly represent for more than 40 years. now, i don't pretend to speak for mr. rangel's constituents. they have reelected him often without opposition. more times than many of the members of congress have actually been al hive. but while mr. rangel has tried repeatedly this week to claim the unfairness of what has happened to him, in my mind, the most unfair thing of all was that his constituents were denied an opportunity to know the findings of fact as

determined by eight of his colleagues, four republicans, and four democrats, before they, the voters in the 15th district of new york, had an opportunity to choose their representative earlier this year. this process could have and should have been concluded earlier and as such it is my view that the committee failed the people of harlem and 15th district of new york for this reason alone. before he marched out of the hearing on monday, but even after the subcommittee's conviction by clear and convincing evidence on tuesday, mr. rangel stated that this panel should now take into account his entire 40 years of service to the congress as well as his military record. let me be clear. his distinguished military service is not up for debate. nor is it a relevant part in my

view of this deliberation. for when the american people bestowe upon us the privilege of being their representative, it is both a matter of tradition and protocol that the possession also carries with it the title of honorable. sadly, madame chair, it is my unwavering view that the actions, decision and behavior of our colleague from new york can no longer reflect either honor or integrity. as i noted earlier, i can't speak for the people in mr. rangel's district -- let's break from this hearing for just a moment, sneak in a quick break. we're back in a moment. introducing bayer am. its dual-action formula delivers extra strength pain relief, plus it fights fatigue. so get up and get going with new bayer am, the morning pain reliever.

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as a part time sales associate with walmart. when william came in i knew he had everything he needed to be a leader in this company. [ william ] after a couple of months, i was promoted to department manager. like, wow, really? me? a year later, i was promoted again. walmart even gave me a grant for my education. recently, he told me he turned down a job at one of the biggest banks in the country. this is where i want to be. i fully expect william will be my boss one day. my name is william and i work at walmart. ♪ live pictures now from washington, d.c. the house ethics committee right now convening a hearing to discuss the punishment for congressman charlie rangel for

violating house rule. head's bring in brianna keilar. i should recommend that wes also have a writer for the new york observer, there's reed. but first to you, brianna. stuff words from representative bonner of alabama. >> reporter: yeah, this really struck me. and keeping in mind he is the ranking republican on this. so you're certainly expecting to get a partisan flavor from his comments. but it struck me as certainly more partisan than we've heard from him before. i actually remember during one of the first hearings having to do with congress in an rangel, jo bonner was pretty forgiving and kind of lamented that this is someone who is very respected. but it struck me he referred to rangel who was at one time one of his most highly regarded colleagues, yet he has little respect for the institution he

claims to love or his district. who we i should say just recently overwhelming reelected rangel. >> and we were talking about it just a moment ago, one of the lines from jo bonner was, look, the people of the 15th congressional district of new york should have had an opportunity to snow the decision of this committee before they went to the polls. but you're making the point the folks in this district are well aware of the charges. >> yeah, this is an investigation that's going on for two years. while they may not have known the committee's decision, they certainly knew what the allegations were and decided to overwhelming reelect him in any case. >> would it have made a difference for the people of his district to know the decision? >> from people that i've spoken to in the district, community leaders there, there's a real sense that charlie rangel is a victim in this case. >> really? >> yeah.

there's a real sense of victimhood here. hazel dukes on monday said this was a witch hunt. so it seems unlike lie that this verdict would have swung a lot of votes in a different direction. >> let's open up brie brianna's mike for just a moment. go ahead. >> reporter: this is chief counsel, in essence, the prosecution. this is blake chisham. and he's the one who presented the facts against rangel. again this has been going on for two years, so this is really his argumentth argume argument during the sentencing phase. >> let's take a listen. >> respondent's accept answance rent stabilized apartment as a

campaign office under circumstances that it created an appearance of impropriety. and respondent's failure to report and pay taxes on his dominican villa. the subcommittee found that respondent's actions and accumulations of actions reflected poorly on the institution of the house and thereby brought discredit to the house. based on the subcommittee's findings, this committee must now determine the appropriate sanction to recommend. the committee's rules provide at least some guidance in determindetermin determining sanctions. the range of punishment is reprimand, a censure, or expulsi expulsion. the committee may also recommend a fine or the denial of any limitation -- or denial or limitation of any right, power,

privilege or immunity of the member if under the constitution the house of representatives may impose such denial or limitation. the rules say that a reprimand is appropriate for serious violations. a censure for more serious v violatio violations. and expulsion for the most serious violations. this committee in its 43 year history has recommended that the house impose sanctions 16 times. four times the committee has recommended expulsion. the most recent being former representative traficant in 2002. three times the committee has recommended censure. the most recent being former representative charles h. wilson in 1980. nine times the committee has recommended reprimand, the most recent being former speaker of

the house gingrich in 1997. on three occasions, the full house has declined to follow the recommendation of the committee. in two cases in which the committee recommended reprimand, the house determined to kren ch censure the members but the house imposed a reprimand. during the history of the committee, only eight members have been reprimanded. only four have been censured. in the committee's history, it has issued five public letters of reproval, two have been issued since 1997. the committee's precedents do not draw a clear line to determine an appropriate sanction in this -- >> so let's do this. let's sneak in another quick break. we are standing by waiting to

hear from congressman charles rangel, at his side, congressman john lewis, the house ethics committee meeting right now to determine a punishment for charles rangel for violating house rules. a quick break. we're back in a moment. [ male announcer ] at&t introduces a new windows phone... [ exclaims ] ...with...stage presence. ♪ a new phone with dolby surround sound speakers. only from at&t. rethink possible.

we're watching the house ethics committee convening a hearing now. we're in the sanction phase of the process now.house eitherics committee trying on determine what the sanction will be for violating 11 house ethics rules. with us here in new york is reed pilifont. and brianna keilar is watching, as well. reed, you spent time with charlie rangel recently. the weight of all of this, is it clear, is it apparent, is he wearing it? >> absolutely. there's an old joke that charlie rangel was unavoidable for comment on almost any story. and walking with him down the

hall on monday, he said almost nothing, gave the shortest possible answers. this is a guy who has always been extremely care rizcharisma. it's clearly weighing on his shoulders. >> does he believe he is corrupt? in listening to him over the last couple of months and all of his public statements on this. or does he believe that he is in fact using his words he was overzealous, he was sloppy, but not corrupt? >> there's no question he doesn't believe that he's corrupt. on tuesday, his office september o sent out a press release essentially saying that and also included a c-span clip where blake chisham was asked if there was evidence of corruption and chisham essentially said no.c-s was asked if there was evidence of corruption and chisham

essentially said no. so these trying to hammer home the point that he's are not allegations of corruption per say. >> for folks just joining us, it was stark the beginning of this hearing. congressman rangel arriving early. certainly arriving before the committee members took their place. and take a look at this scene. brianna, if you would, walk the audience through this extraordinary period of time before the hearing got under way. >> reporter: i think the reason that it is so extraordinary ises it is just everything that you're seeing on charles rangel's face as he's standing there and it appears talking to -- or he's talking at least to -- i don't know fit's one of his associates and getting all of the members of the press taking photos of him, but he's so somber here. we even saw him earlier this week at the beginning of the

trial, he came in typical rangel. even throughout all of this, he's snapped at reporters at times, he's been short as you heard reed say, but throughout all of it, he's peppered the whole thing with his personality, which is to be very jovial, to talk to reporters at times, although, yes, has he been telling us a whole lot? no. he'll still talk to us without really revealing a lot. but i think here you're seeing a different charlie rangel where you're seeing weight of what's going on here. and i think it was laid out pretty clearly by members of this committee and also by the prosecution, the chief counsel to the ethics committee. you heard blake chisham say that in the 40 year history of this committee, only 16 times have there been sanctions. this does not happen every day. this is a very big deal. >> and an opportune moment for the camera to widen out a bit. in those initial moments, brie

briann brianna, it was literally rangel a solitary figure and you were surprised to see congressman lewis join him. >> reporter: i'm trying to figure out how that came to be because that wasn't what i was expecting to see. but when rangel put out a statement earlier today, saying his 0 40 years of public servic but also his military veteran, a very accomplished veteran, and he was sayinging in the statement that this should be considered and jo bonner said, no rk, it's not relevant, that' not in dispute, we're talking about your behavior here as a mefb congress. so, yes, john lewis sitting down next to him. one thing he highlighted in this letter was the fact he was a participant in the rights movement and really his role in that. so then you see john lewis take

a seat next to him, someone who is so accomplished certainly in his own right in the civil rights movement. he's quite a figure here on capitol hill and to have someone sitting next to him because he doesn't have a lawyer, it's fo were wondering would he stand alone today. reed, let me ask you straight out the good and the bad of charles rangel. >> the obvious good is how much money he's brought back to the harlem district. the mayor said mr. rangel had been essentially a good public servant. said he'd like to see him stay, that he would not want to see him resign. the badd is obviously this moment, the fact that he omitted that he was chair of a committee that is supposed to write tax policy and he was making, you know, at the least omissions on his own taxes. so people are still trying to -- i guess it's up to the voters now. >> and it's interesting, all of

this happens, you know, you would have to say he was an 80-year-old man in the twilight of his congressional career. there wouldn't seem to be a lot of -- >> he's very focused on his legacy at this point. i think he know that's doesn't have much time and i think that by not sitting through the process, he's able to sort of take it on his own terms, do his best to manage the pr a little bit. and i expect him to get up here and talk about his service through the last 40 years. >> brianna, do you want to add on to this? >> reporter: i think one of the thing that's interesting talking about the good and the bad, you can almost in these proceedings, it's the nexus perhaps of the good and the bad of charles rangel. one of the things that he got in

trouble for was soliciting funds at the city college of new york, a center that is supposed to attract young minority students or young people of color to be attracted to public service and to get them into that. you can imagine in harlem this is something that is considered so noble, the purpose of this center. and yet the way that he went about it, which was described by the prosecution and also by rangel himself as overzealous, that he was soliciting donations from companies that had business before the house ways and means committee, a very powerful committee that, he was using congressional staff to do it, congressional letter head, that in some of his other affairs, he was using his frankie privileges, which is basically free postage. so even though you've heard the prosecution say i don't believe that he's corrupt here, he's been sloppy in this, you're kind of seeing i think the collision

there of how he's trying to do things and he moves ahead and yet getting himself into trouble with it. >> okay. let's do this. pre-an brianna and reed stand by, a quick break and we're back in a moment. lenge ourselves on the most demanding track in the world. with us, in spirit, was every great car that we'd ever competed with. the bmw m5. and the mercedes-benz e63. for it was their amazing abilities that pushed us to refine, improve and, ultimately, develop the world's fastest production sedan. [ engine revving ] the cts-v, from cadillac. the new standard of the world.

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or go to discountdoublecheck.com. ♪ i wasn't corrupt, overzealous and sloppy maybe, but not corrupt.

that is the argument from veteran new york congress map charlie rangel. we'll hear that in his own words i suspect shortly. as you know, the house ethics committee is convening right now to discuss its punishment for violating house rules. and we are expecting to hear from congressman wrarangel shor. he's joined by congressman john lewis on his left. i suspect we'll hear from both men shortly. let's check in with brianna keilar on capitol hill and she's watching this with us. brianna, if you would bring folks up to speed with where we are. >> reporter: this is the beginning of the sanctions hearing. this is in essence the sentencing phase for rangel. he's already been found guilty of 11 of 12 house violations. and what we're looking at right now is he is awaiting his chance to speak and we're hearing right now from what is really the prosecution, the top lawyer to

the ethics committee. tony, you mentioned that rangel has said i'm not corrupt. and we've even hurt this from the top prosecutor. but blake chisham said sloppiness isn't a defense. i still believe there are violations of house rules. he said what does it say to the american people that the person who is sitting on the committee, that's the house ways and means committee, that oversees the regulation of their income, of their retirement savings, what does it say to them when it's being overseen by someone who is practicing as much carelessness as rangel has. because among other things he failed to pay taxes on income he got from a rental property. so crystallizing the point that whis ham is trying to make. >> but we also understand why charles rangel is pushing so hard against that label because that's what sticks.

charles rangel corrupt is what stick. that ends up being a part of the re legacy. so we understand why he is pushing so hard against that label sticking. >> right, i think he doesn't want this to be the first line in his biography going forward. it's a tough thing to overcome. it's unclear how many years he'll have to serve and sort of put this behind him, so i think he's trying to do everything he can rye now. >> let's do this, let's dip in just a bit to find out where we are in the proceedings and maybe we'll duck out. but let's listen in. >> the nature of his miss could be dugt and the effect his actions and accumulation of actions had on the public trust suggest that something more than a reprimand but less than a censure would not be inappropriate.

du that said, we cannot ignore the fact that the respondent was at rely tant times either the chairman or ranking member of the ways and means committee. nor can we look past the fact that so many elements of his conduct intersected so overtly with his stature and his position. as a result, i respectfully submit that this committee should recommend to the full house that it disciplinary action against respondent and that this committee recommend respondent be censured by the house. >> have you concluded, mr. chisham? >> yes. >> we will now turn mr. rangel and i see you have mr. lewis setting next to you and i would invite you to address us now. >> thank you. first let me say i can imagine

the awkwardness that this committee has had in its deliberation over the years and i know none of you would have volunteered for this service nor would you have believed that this case would have taken this long. and i understand that. the second thing i would like to say that i hope mr. bonner in his statement did not imply my lack of love for my country or this congress. one of the reasons why i had -- that this has taken us so long is because when people were talking about sentiment, never was the evidence that was not found the as relates to the

allegations ever mentioned. as a matter of fact, one of the reasons why i was insisting on having the witnesses that testified in front of the investigatory committee was because they may not have changed the facts, they may not have been giving excuses for my behavior, but clearly in view of some of the things that has been said today by counsel and mr. bonner, they would have given an explanation for my faulty behavior as it relates to the very serious charges of violating the house rules. i look at myself every morning, mr. bonner, and i have never

blamed staff, my family or anyone for my irresponsible behavior as it relates to violation of the house rules. as a matter of fact, i have said it publicly, and you had clips of this as to what i've said, and i, no matter what sanction you finally reach, i will dedicate my life in trying to let younger members and other members know that these rules are not there to punish, they're there to guide the members to protect the character and the integrity of this congress. and whether they're new members or older members, they have a responsibility to do just that. i would have hoped, however, that the atmosphere in which i dealt with the landlord, that i

dealt with those people that listed foundations that could make recommendations for city college to receive a grant, that they would have been able -- or that they were able and did testify that in all of this, there was no request or suggestion that i would receive any personal gain. there would not be everyone the suggestion of skrupgs. and had there been some suggestion when we were negotiating as to whether or not we could have avoided this it hearing, if someone had said to me that they were willing as i'm really asking this committee to do, to say what was not found even though it was alleged and still is being alleged by

newspaper reporters, television reporter, as it deals with rangel being a crook, rangel being corrupt, rangel gaining. i don't see any reason oeeason committee pointing out those thin things. yes, i wanted to be judged publicly and i admitted wrongdoing to my committee. and it wasn't my fault that this committee decided to have this hearing on the eve of my primary or the eve of the general election, but god knows there was enough derogatory things said about me that i don't think, mr. bonner, that you have to feel sorry for my constituents not knowing. the press took care of it and i don't see where this committee

or anyone did anything to clear the record as to what i did not do even though i humbly recognized that what i did do was serious enough for this committee to continue its investigations. i'm not here to retry the case, but even you, mr. bonner, might think it would be fair to point out that the record would indicate that the landlord solicited me for that department, that the department had been vacant as other departments have been throughout the building, and that with the exception of the zoning law mentioned by down, it was determined there was no violations of any agreements since the person that the lie was made to said that he wanted me there and that my leaving there would have destabilized

the department, but, again, since you referred to the appearance of favoritism, i can't get into that subjective feeling about the appearances of people. i did not know i was on a specialist. and i don't think anyone has said what did i gain as a result of being on that list because if there was appearances, it was with the staff. in any event, again, the fact that for 17 years taxes were paid to the dominican republic has nothing to do with the facts in this case has it relates to my conduct, but i would believe that the accountant that testified would have shared with you how mistakes were made that i assumed responsibility for, because whether it's a lawyer, a

cpa or accountant tant,, i sign paper. but had i had the opportunity to listen to the witnesses that mr. chisham heard, i think that perhaps the atmosphere would not be that i was a bad person about, babou, but more in line with what was said. when will butterfield asked the question, but more in line with what was said. when will butterfield asked the question of blake chisham, the ethics chief counsel, do you have any evidence of personal financial benefit or corruption, blake chisham asked i see no evidence of corruption, said blake chisham, in response to representative butterfield's question. do you believe that based on the record that congressman rangel took steps to benefit himself

based on his position in congress? no. i believe that the congressman quite frankly was overzealous in many of the things he did and sloppy in his personal finances. this statement is nothing for me to be proud of. this statement makes me believe that a lot should have been done and i recognize that and i admitteded that. but it would really help and i don't think it's out of line if the committee didn't say it before that you could put in that report no matter what you agree to that he did not gain anything personally for the bad conduct that i've had. that's all i've ever asked when i referred this whole thing to this committee. all i asked was that you make a point of investigating

everything. i volunteereded to have a forensic accountant for 20 years look over taxes, to look over all of the things that should have been done and quecorrectedl of that, but that is not an example that i would want to set for the members of congress. and quite frankly, even though i came in here prepared not to deal with the question of censure and the options that you've had, i think that mr. chisham's list of when this committee has saw fit to give reprimands, well, i assume that when you go into executive session you would compare how other members were treated under circumstances where they were personally enrich ed and where there was no question that the

corruption existed. i have brought my friend here, john lewis, because i wanted him to share who i was. i felt awkward in giving sub serving statements as to how i've dedicated my life to my country and to this congress and to my community.i've dedicated country and to this congress and to my community. and i know if i had counsel here, that they would say one thing, don't antagonize any members of this committee. but mr. bonner, i really was surprised that you could deal with questions that dealt with my love for my congress and my country and my district as well to talk about testimony that you

found as factual that was not disputed by me but by the same token the surrounding circumstances of would i have left that apartment would there have been a subsidized apartment left there. the answer is no. these people that would have been looks for a subsidized apartment certainly wasn't looking for it there. the apartments were say contact. vacant. i didn't try to hide anything from anybody even though there is an account there that says i was receiving a gift. and again with ccny, i was overzealous because i've dedicated my life to trying to make certain of those people who

were not whiexposed to a certai education could get it. i know the only thing between me as a high school dropout in korea and becoming chairman of the awesome and respectable ways and means committee was the gi bill and education. so overzealous is not an excuse, but i appreciate mr. wlis ham demonstrated that it is an explanation and not an excuse for my behavior. and i hope you take that into consideration because it's not just the years i've been in congress. it's the years that i expect my grandchildren to be looking at, my community, and i hope you take all of those things in consideration and i ask now that