High Ranking Member of Most Ethical Congress Ever Has $723K Legal Tab

Not only is the very shady Charles Rangel up to his neck in ethical and legal problems, he's adding insult to his supporters by using their contributions to pay his tab.

What a sport.

Embattled Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel, who is the subject of an ever-broadening congressional ethics investigation, has paid out more than $723,000 in legal fees so far this year, according campaign filings released yesterday.

Rangel has doled out $279,374 in campaign funds to four separate law firms since April.

More than $135,000 of it went to Zuckerman Spaeder, the Washington law firm of congressional ethics expert Leslie Kiernan. That's on top of $340,145 paid to that firm in the first three months of the year.

The filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission yesterday revealed that Rangel also paid out a total of $51,221 to Washington attorney John W. Kern and the Washington firm Oldaker, Belair & Wittie.

He also paid $93,050 to the Washington tax firm Watkins, Meegan, Drury & Co., which he hired last year to audit his financial records for mistakes.

Can you imagine a Republican getting away with this? Neither can I.

His tab for the past year is a cool $928,000.

Rangel and House Democratic leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), had hoped the investigation into the New York Democrat would be finished by now, but the ethics investigation could drag on for months or even into next year, according to House insiders.

GOP leaders attempted several times earlier this year to force Rangel to give up the Ways and Means gavel while the ethics committee investigates him, but Democrats remained united behind Rangel and fought off the Republican effort.

Of course the GOP could use all of this against Rangel next year by that would be raaaaacisssst!