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Speaking of apologies: Hypocrisy clouds Democrats’ demand for “You lie” apology (Rep. John Carter)

by Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) - 09/15/09 3:29 PM ET

And many people agree with this belief. Exactly one year ago today, the New York Times called for Rangel to step down. Since then, others have called for his resignation, including the Washington Post, the Buffalo News and other Congressional leaders.

Yet Rangel refuses to step down, won’t even apologize for his tax wrongdoings, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to back him.

As a reminder of what Rangel should apologize for, here are a few assets Rangel has failed to disclose, which violate tax and Congressional rules:

    * A Merrill Lynch Global account worth between $250,000 and $500,000
    * Tens of thousands of dollars in municipal bonds
    * Between $30,000 and $100,000 in rent from a building he owned in New York
    * A checking account worth between $250,0000 and $500,000
    * Three vacant lots in New Jersey valued between $1,000 and $15,000
    * Stock in PepsiCo worth between $15,000 and $50,000
    * $10,000 in back taxes from rental income from a villa in the Dominican Republic.

Clearly, this is a broad range of disclosures, or lack thereof. And while everyone makes mistakes, this is an egregious list of violations that have been known about for a year now.

If a working American makes an honest mistake on their income tax, they pay penalties and interest along with their back taxes. But Chairman Rangel has paid just the outstanding back taxes he has admitted himself, and declared the matter closed, without paying a nickel of penalties or interest.

This is a blatant example of the kind of hypocrisy we have come to expect from Speaker Pelosi’s House of Representatives – a House of Hypocrisy.