we are all part of the family. as we know, families don't always get along. but in the end, they do stand together. i want to make one thing clear. our party, state and country owes rob simons a debt of gratitude for this service. we oh a debt to peter shift to members of congress for individual clarity and rights

tonight, i think i speak for every republican in this state to invite rob and peter to join us as we fight to win this seat for all of the people in connecticut i have said since we made the start of the campaign isn't bestowed. it isn't a birthright. it can't be bought.

i am honored to be your nominee for the united states senate. >> we begin this campaign almost 11 months ago today. since then, i've chris crossed this state and been to 660 events and had some of the most incredible experiences meeting and talking with all of the people of connecticut. i've not been everywhere yet but i hope in the next few weeks that i will get to more and more

cities and meet more and more of the wonderful people of connecticut. unlike someone else, i won't need to go to vancouver to know about it. i understand there are people who are hurting. i know what it feels like because i've been there i have had a great fear that the american dream was in jeopardy i

didn't want to loose that dream for our children and grandchildren [applause] i am alarmed by the wreckless spending, tax increases coming from washington. it's sufficient owe indicating our small businesses and it is killing our jobs. i believe this is threatening not only our well being but also the well being of the next generations to come. you'll agree with me, the answer is not bigger government, it is smaller government. [applause] . [applause] >> the answer isn't another billion in stimulus spending.

it is less spending. the answer isn't higher taxes, it's lower taxes the great communicator ronald reagan had it right but this president and this congress have it wrong. the path which they are leading us is not working. folks, i get it. i understand the experience because i've lived it. i understand the impact of higher taxes and the continuing uncertainty that small businesses are trying to work within today we are going to

send that message to washington to understand that and for the first time in decades, we are going to send a republican snarlt to washington.

this campaign is about you i won't ever forget that you hired me and that i work for you thank you for everything you have done our campaign starts tonight and it starts with all of you.

thank you very much and god bless you. [applause] >> every weekend many august, book tv returns to book festivals. later in the month, the annual meeting of historians and libel rare mans. for the full listing, go to book tv.org. >> colorado senator michael bennett won his bid tuesday night. he spoke to supporters at his primary headquarters at the mile high station in denver. flu

>> first of all, it's so nice to see so many familiar faces. i can't wait for the party to start. it was just a week ago that washington odds makers started counting us out of this face. they didn't think we were negative enough to spend more

time talking about our opponents and what we stand for. to the opponents, welcome to colorado >> as all of you know now, this election is the first time my name has ever been on a ballot. after only 20 months in the senate and on the campaign trail traveling over 25,000 miles and 64 counties more than once, from

the western slope to the eastern plains to the denver suburbs. i know one thing, washington has a lot to learn from colorado. [applause] >> the sad fact is that washington is full of politicians more interested in scoring points than turning the hard work of the country around. the gap in which we hear on television and what i hear from town hall meetings across the state has never been wider. there is good news. our country does not end at

patomac river. every week, i'm reminded we can start making decisions on what is right and what works, i'm more optimistic than ever that colorado will lead the way, creating better jobs and a brighter future for our schools and the country. i know we can do it together, democrats and republicans we can check our party registration at the door and set aside long held grievances and show washington, it's time to get to work. [applause]

colorado knows the stakes are too high for this election to settle for tired arguments and political gains. they know it is about choices and where we stand on issues. this november, the choice cannot be clearer. do we want to return to the failed policies that drove us into the mess we are into. where are we going to move forward together to build an economy that works for every single american will we surrender to the anger and politics? no or embrace optimism for how much we can embrace together.

will we remember our colorado dependents, roll up our sleeves and get to work tonight, i want to take a minute to thank everyone. volunteering, knocking on doors,

you are the reason we are celebrating tonight. thank you to our dedicated staff and volunteers tonight to build this campaign. thank you thank you. thank you. i also especially want to thank the thousands of colorado who come to my meetings i can tell

you after so many miles of traveling across our state, we live in the most state. [applause] . most important to my wonderful wife, susan -- [applause] .

she is unbelievable. and our three little girls this race is about colorado's families. it has been a family project every step of the way. it has not been easy for me to spend so much time away from you. i love you all more than words can say. for those of you here tonight and all across this great state

who gave your time, understand and support tonight is your victory i will work hard to prove myself worthy of your support the issues that have divided us are so much smaller. andrew has spent his career committed to the state and our party i look forward to working with him to work on the way made

we will work hard to work on real world solutions creating jobs that threaten to drown our children in debt. my time working with john, our next corner you know exactly

what i'm talking about 45 minutes into a long road trip, the excitement wears off and the kids are in the back doing their best to annoy one another. every time you turn around, they put on their best smile and point their fingers at the other one. that backseat is a lot like the u.s. senate washington needs a

lot less finger pointing and name calling and less problem solving. i know we can do this by facing up to our problems, solving them and leaving more opportunity, not less to our kids and grandkids it starts right here in colorado i took off on a 24 hour tour. i listened to the hard working men and women trying to make

ends meet in their families trying to make ends meet in factories and coffee shops and hospitals. they are completely uninterred in the political games. i visited solar cell. in watkins in the middle of the night, i met a group of firefighters. some were volunteers putting in 36 hours a month. putting in an equivalent of a week's hours a met a nurse who

was proud to work at night so during the day she could be with her kids. they discern leaders i bought a bottle of the mixed spies because they said it was great for beef jerky. they had big dreams soon to be

world famous. that's the spirit of colorado. yes, i'ms are hard right now and stop writing checks for our children to cover. we'll strengthen our schools and make sure the world remains the leader in business and opportunity. together we will win this senate seat.

it is long pastime to cast off the do nothing politics prepare colorado to lead and we will do this together. thank you for your support. thank you. [applause] thank you.

>> thank you. [applause] . >> this morning, we'll get an update on washington results.

and david wenhold talks about lobbying disclosure rules each morning. >> there you go, senator. daniel webster used to sit here. sunday night on "q&a."

new york democrat came to the house floor and asked members to sxi indict his ethics case >> e myself from this body and i've always tried to play by the rules and i cannot think of anybody that has encouraged me to speak here . and i want to thank all of you who are concerned about me for saying that, you know, a guy's a fool to represent himself as some of the people have said. but i have been losing a lot of

sleep over these allegations and my family and community. some of these rules that they have is that i'm restricted by confidentiality, but for years i have been saying no comment, no comment, no comment to a lot of serious allegations because i could not comment and i would refer them to the ethics committee. and when the ethics committee finally brought out their statement of alleged violations, it was a long list of things, and somehow the chairman of the subcommittee of investigation indicated that i had received a lot of offers to settle this thing so that it would not cause embarrassment to my democratic friends.

and that i'd been offered a reprimand. and a lot of people kind of felt that sounded like a wonderful opportunity to remove this so that i could leave the congress with some degree of dignity. why, even some people said that the president had suggested that his life might be made easier if there was no charlie rangel, so-called, scandal. but i interpreted it another way. i think when the president said that he wanted me to end my career in dignity, he didn't put a time limit on it, and i would think that his concern would be that if any member of the house of representatives has been accused of serious crimes or allegations that somehow within the process, even though -- there has to be

some process in which the member has an opportunity to tell his constituents, his family and his friends what he didn't believe. so when the chairman of the investigating committee said i have been offered a settlement reminded me of something that i will devote my retiring years the science and education, which is the major thrust of my attempt here, is that those of you that come anywhere near criminal court, we have a terrible thing that happens throughout these united states and that is that someone gets arrested for a very serious crime and they get their lawyer and the lawyer explains that i think it's better that you plead guilty to a lesser crime. he says, well, i'm not only not guilty but i don't even know what's involved here. they said, listen, we're not

suggesting if you plea guilty if you're innocent, but i think you ought to know this judge if you're found guilty is going to send you away for 20 years. on the other hand you have no offenses, you're a first offender, and if you could just forget about this thing and explain later what happens. so he continues to tell the -- his lawyer that, hey, i'm willing to admit what i've done wrong and i've done some things wrong but i shouldn't have to -- anyway, he says, listen, we would never tell you to quit or resign. we are telling you that it would be easier for us that this is not an issue. but knowing the president, as i do, i think he believes dignity means that everybody is entitled to be judged for allegations against them. we come back to this house because the speaker has called us here in order to make certain that we provide

resources for governors and mayors to maintain our teachers and our firefighters, and rangel's not on the schedule for anything which is ok because i know that the members of the committee, they work hard, it's a selfless job. god knows i wouldn't take it. i respect the time that they placed on this. and it's been almost two years, but i have a primary that takes place a couple days before they even thought about meeting. and then i found out from my lawyer that even when they meet on the 13th of september there is no trial date then. and so i don't want to embarrass anybody. as a matter of fact, those people that believe that their election is going to be dependent on me resigning, i like to encourage them to believe i think republicans have given you enough reason to get re-elected and they

continue to do something. but quite frankly, i think -- a lot of people don't know but when the -- well, i don't want to be critical of the ethics committee because my lawyer said you can't make them -- you can't get annoyed with them because there still may be room for a settlement. and i thought about it. and, well, when i found out that one of the republicans that will be sitting on what they call the adjudication committee had made remarks condemning me for my contributions to the city college that it was a rangel thing, an ego thing, and a corrupt thing, and he was going to judge me, i asked my lawyer. i said, how can they do that? he said, well, the ethics committee can do whatever they want. i said, well, do me a favor. i've paid close to $2 million.

i continue to owe you money. and you're telling me that you have no idea when there's going to be a hearing. and every time i talk with you, i said, do me a favor on friday, let's see what happens today in terms of reaching out to settle this thing because i can't afford to be represented by counsel. each and every day the expenses build up, and i think that i have an obligation to younger members of congress to be able to tell them, if you couldn't raise the $2 million, you're out of business no matter what the allegations are. because no one's going to read the defense. and, of course, just the allegations by themselves with

-- by themselves would be out of business. i am here because i could afford lawyers for close to two years, but everyone would know that there comes a limit. so i told them, just put everything on hold. see what happens when we meet here. and guess what? nothing happened. there's no agenda. so what they're saying is that, while the ethics committee will be leaving to -- for members to be able to work in their districts and to get re-elected and i'm having a primary that i have to wait until after my primary to find out when the ethics committee intends to have a hearing. and then that hearing comes just before, maybe, the general election. there must be something wrong with the rules because people would advise me that i could

only hurt myself by coming before this committee. nobody has tried to protect the integrity of the congress with two years -- almost two years of investigation to say the mistakes that rangel has made should be public and should have been public earlier than now. and i couldn't say anything because i didn't want to offend and don't want to offend the ethics committee, but the ethics committee won't even tell me when i'm going to have a hearing. and, hey, people concerned about me, i'm 80 years old, i don't want to die before the hearing. and i think my electorate are entitled to finding out who their congressman for 40 years is. who am i? am i corrupt? what did they offer me? and i want to be a role model for new members and tell them the mistakes i made so they don't make. and so there are a list of

foundations that specialize in providing funds for education. so i'm convinced that the president wants some dignity in knowing that not only my -- am i one of his strongest supporters, but i know that you know that unless we able to provide education for every child that's there, almost by any means possible, that our nation's national security is being threatened by foreigners. that our ability to be ahead of the curve in terms of trade, and nobody is more supportive of the president in trade, clear up some of the things in the korean bill so you don't hurt us, clean up a little corruption and violence in colombia and move on with the thing. so the whole idea is really me trying to have some dignity in making certain that america is stronger. now, the thing is that in the haste of sending out hundreds

of letters, never asking for a penny but still suggesting we should meet with these people because i knew that i would hope that they would convince them to provide money. now, a lot of people have done that. doesn't mean it's right. but the rules have changed. and so there has to be a penalty for grabbing the wrong stationary and not really doing the right thing. but it's not corrupt. it may be stupid or neglect but -- neglect but it's not corrupt. -- neglijent but it's not corrupt. the benefit is that you have a legacy with your name up there. well, we should go to my website to take a look at my answers. this is a broken down building that you have to run away from if someone's going to put your name on it. but it's still there. then they say that i would receive a luxurious offer.

the sworn testimony was. they never told me. who in the heck needs an office with 40 years of service in the congress in a broken down building? and then they said, hey, we just put it in there so we encourage people to put it in there. they said the name. they thought was not a benefit to me, but a benefit in order for them to get money. so i can't imagine why in the cause of all of these things that government personnel didn't buy stamps -- well, if you think of them as official and you're wrong, then i violated the benefits. then at the end of the day the inferences are very serious and mistakes can be made and they shouldn't have -- these things shouldn't have happened. but i can't walk away and have you guys doing your campaign because i'm annoyed and the

action is out there calling me corrupt and no one is coming forward saying rangel is not corrupt, rangel didn't make a nickel. no witness ever said there was preferential treatment given. and one guy that had an issue before the senate, staff, republicans, everybody said it never came before the house but they keep putting it down there. and guess what? it was the district attorney of new york for over 40 years that suggested that i meet with him because he was in the education fill an tropic business in addition to having business in the senate which republicans and democrats say never came to the ways and means committee. and staff certainly can prove it. i don't know how far they'd go in making a mistake, but you have to be very careful members making certain when they change the rules that you know what happens. and i'm prepared to say, i'm sorry for any embarrassment that has caused.

another issue has to do with having an office, a congressional office in the building that i live in. . people say that's taking advantage, rent control, stabilized apartment. nobody has said that the ethics committee never found for stabilized apartment. no one said i broke any laws. no one said that the apartment that they considered two had always been considered one at the least. no one said that 10 years ago there was an apartment, one bedroom apartment that i got from my family, political friends, i no longer have. but the concern was how do you explain the congressional office? let's read the lapped lord's

testimony. he said he was 20% vacant. that he needed money. that he knew that the checks were paid by the congressional committee. that the mail came in rangel for congress. and that the lawyers have told him and the officials of the city and state of new york that there was no violation of any law or rules. and what was the benefit? the benefit was that your colleague and friend was not sensitive to the fact that there was appearance as though i was being treated differently than anyone else. but the landlord said he didn't treat me any differently. no one said that they did treat me differently. but i have to admit that i wasn't sensitive to anything because i never felt then that i was treated any differently than anybody else. so that ends the apartment

thing. but i plead guilty of not being sensitive. now when it comes to the negligence of the disclosures and the tax issues, there's absolutely no excuse that's there. when accusations were made, i hired a forensic accountant and told them to check out what the heck is going on because i want to make certain that when i stand up and speak that it's true. well, after i found out it was far more serious than the accusations, i then referred it to the ethics committee. it wasn't as though someone tracked me down, the i.r.s. or the clerk of the house, i filed the correct papers. and the tax that is were paid -- taxes that were paid an

accountant might say that had my accountant recognized that this 2,000 down payment for a house in the dominican republic that was promised to be paid off in seven years would be a complete failure, and if indeed they did not give me one nickel but whenever they thought they were making a dollar or two they reduced the mortgage, then there's no question you don't have to be a tax expert to know that if you didn't report that income, that was -- notwithstanding the fact if you had done the right thing you had no liability bass the taxes that were paid -- because the tax that is were paid to the dominican republic would have been deducted and with depreciation i would have no liability. having said that, is that an excuse that's worthy? of course not. the fact that there was negligence on the part of the person that for 20 years did it and the fact that i signed it, does not really give an excuse

as to why i should not apologize to this body for not paying the attention to it that i should have paid to it. but there is no, not one scintilla bit of evidence that the negligence involved in the disclosures, that there was some way to hide from the public what i had. because the value of the property they would say was $25,000, 100,000, whatever it would be that it didn't make any sense that i was trying to disclose 2 -- it. why did i take the floor today? i haven't found one lawyer that said i should do it. i haven't found one friend that said i should do it. but i thought about it. if the lawyers are going to continue to charge me, and i don't even know when the

hearing's going to be, and i can't tell them i want one and not six lawyers, i don't want to offend the ethics committee. they are doing the best they can. but, hey, i'm in a position -- the speaker pro tempore: members and their staff will please take their conversations from the floor. the gentleman may resume. mr. rangel: that, hey, i'm 0 years old. all my life has been from the beginning public service. that's all i have ever done. been in the army, been a state legislator, been a federal prosecutor, 40 years here. and all i'm saying is that if it is the judgment of people here for whatever reason that i resign, then have the ethics committee expedite this. don't leave me swinging in the wind until november. if this is an emergency and i think it is, to help our local and state governments out, what about me?

i don't want anyone to feel embarrassed, awkward. if i was you i may want me to go away, too. i am not going away. i am here. and i do recognize that -- i'm not saying there's any partisanship in this because if i do all the people that have been accused of accusations, i'm in a close district, and i -- they were republicans, i would give a couple of moments of thought to see whether or not, especially if i didn't have anything to work with to get re-elected, i would say, hey, take a look at these republicans. they have been accused. but i don't really think that the unfairness of this is to me. i don't take it personally. i'm thinking about all of you. the president wants dignity. let's have dignity in this house where the ethics committee means something and that none of you, if the

newspapers say anything, will have to wait two years before you can say, no comment. even in addition to that -- and in addition to that, once they make the accusation, they have no business making any mistakes and saying that i didn't cooperate. i got papers with my signature on it. i got papers that said i tried my darnest. i got papers where my lawyer tells me had ever reason to believe that the full committee would sign on, that there was space for people to sign. i'm the only one -- i don't know what changed their minds about settling this case. but my lawyers -- my friends say don't go to the floor. and i say what are you going to

do me? suppose i do get emotional? suppose i do think of my life the beginning and end. are you going to expel me from this boddy? are you going to say while there is no evidence that i took a nickel, asked for a nickel that there's no sworn testimony, no conflict that i have to leave here? as much as i love you, democrats are thinking it would be easy, i'm the guy that was raising money, but that doesn't mean that i criticize you for saying, hey, that's crate then but i'm running for re-election now. do what you have to do. and republicans, hey, you don't have much to run on, but you know, but what the hell, if rangel is an embarrassment, based on newspaper articles, i can see why you would do it, but think, think. isn't this historically the first time that it appears as

though partisanship is in the ethics committee? isn't historically the first time that the recommendations of the subcommittee of investigation is turned down? and darn, who in the heck would want somebody who politically call you corrupt to be the ranking bipartisan guy to judge you? i don't expect answers today. and i know you're going home. i wish all of you -- but at the end of the day somebody, somebody has to do more than wish i go away. somebody has to tell me, when does rangel get a chance to talk to witnesss? i haven't talked with any member of the ethics committee. i haven't talked -- i mean in terms of settlement. my lawyers have. i haven't talked with any of the witnesses. and they had to expedite this case. in other words, i have a shorter time to prepare for reasons that they toll me

challenge the ethics committee. they make this stuff up i think all along. so my lawyer, i can understand how financially this thing can go on longer than i can afford. but she is willing to assist me in working out something in pro bono and i'll expect the leadership to help me. don't let this happen to you. don't walk away from here because it's convenient that i disappear. because not all of you will be able to withstand it as i have. if there's no issue of corruption, if everybody, including the leader over here, has to start off what a great american i am before he drops the bomb, well, i think that should count for something. i am not asking for leniency , i'm asking for exposure of the facts. they have made a decision. i want you to make a decision. i apologize to the leadership.

i feel for those people, especially newcomers, that love this place so much that like someone said, charlie, they all love you. and i paused, but they love themselves better. i understand that. but for god's sake, just don't believe that i don't have feelings, that i don't have pride. that i do want the dignity that the president had said. and the dignity is that even if you see fit to cause me not to be able to come back because you're not going to do it in my district, but if there's some recommendation that i be expelled, for me, for me that would be dignity. because it shows openly that the system isn't working for me. and i hope some of you might think if it doesn't work for

me, that it may not work for you. so i know we are anxious to get home. i know i can't get on the agenda. i know that sometimes -- some time, somewhere i would have a hearing. while you're saying i should resign, i do hope that you might think about what happens if the whole country starts thinking it's better that you resign and don't make anyone feel uncomfortable than to have the truth at least, a person an opportunity to say, you have made alleged violations. i am saying that you're wrong based on sworn testimony. and i want somebody, and i don't think it's going to be people who have been critical of me for doing the same thing, that's going to be the judge. i know outside doesn't count because we judge the conduct of

our members. erer recall if i can't get my dignity back here, then fire your best shot in getting rid of me through expulsion. now, i apologize for any embarrassment that i have caused. i'm prepared to admit and try to let young people know that you never get too big to recognize that these rules are for junior members as they are for senior members. and that you can't get so carried away with good intentions that you break the rules. the rules are there to make certain that we have some order, some discipline and respect for the rule. and i violated that. and i'm apologizing for it. and i don't think apologies mean this is a light matter. it's very serious. but corruption?

no evidence, no suggestion that this was ever found. and lastly, i close by saying that there is an organization that some of you know, certainly national truth in government, whatever, and the only thing i can say that some of my more important democrats on the list that sent out mail to listening money to get rid of me even before i became the chairman. and they have a website that i will be giving you because they got a lot of members, including bicaucus members on their list. what i do remember is send your money in now. we got rangel against the ropes and we got to get rid of him. much knows who they are. and they -- everyone knows who they are. they followed me on vacation.

they followed me when i was doing business much the airport, outside where i live. it's kind of rough. i'm sensitive to your feelings and the hard work by the ethics committee, but this has to stop sometime. . one year, two years, primaries, elections. and all i'm saying is i deserve and demand the right to be heard. and if i hurt anybody's feeling, believe me, it's the equity and the fairness and the justice that i'm asking for and not your feelings. we are entitled to our political feelings and what we want done, but we have to respect each other, and this institution which i love. i love my country. i love my congress, and there's nothing i wouldn't do to preserve this from going on. i love the disagreements. i love the debates. i love the arguments.

but you're not going to tell me to resign to make you feel comfortable. so to awful those that helped me to help myself, let me appreciate it. and for those that disagree, i'm sorry, but that's one thing you can't take away from me. i hope you have a pleasant time while you're away. maybe, just maybe, the members of the ethics committee might think about telling me when they think they might have a hearing so that whatever they decide i can let my constituents, my families, my friends know that i did the best i could as an american, as a patriot, and someone that loves this country. thank you for your attention. go home.

>> it is washington your way, the c-span networks. >> "washington journal" is next on c-span. we will take your calls. and an update on military training. live coverage of this pentagon briefing begins at 11:00 a.m. eastern. coming up, a look at last night's primary results, and we will