Welch gives back Rangel contributions

Rep. Peter Welch (Vt.), a new Democratic member of the
House ethics committee, gave back nearly $20,000 in donations he received from
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who is under investigation by the panel for an
array of ethics charges.

Welch received a total of $19,000 from Rangel’s
reelection committee and leadership political action committee over the last
four years. 

{mosads}Bob Rogan, Welch’s chief of staff, said his boss decided
to return the money to avoid any appearance of impropriety when Speaker Nancy
Pelosi (D-Calif.) named him to the panel, along with four other new Democratic
members of the ethics committee.

“Since Chairman Rangel requested that the committee
investigate matters related to him, Congressman Welch has, in an abundance of
caution, returned all prior campaign contributions from Mr. Rangel,” Rogan said
in a statement.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for
Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said Welch should go further and
recuse himself from the Rangel investigation entirely.

“That’s definitely a problem,” Sloan said. “If you have
taken money from the guy, you shouldn’t be judging him. Even if you are
objective, there’s a real appearance problem.”

The ethics committee expanded its investigation of the
Ways and Means Committee after questions were raised about a potential quid pro
quo involving a donation to a City College of New York education center bearing
Rangel’s name, and Rangel’s alleged legislative favoring of the donor.

The probe previously covered Rangel’s failure to report
rental income on a Dominican Republic villa, alleged misuse of his
congressional stationery for fundraising for the education center and his use
of three rent-controlled New York apartments.