welcome back to hardball. democrats promised to drain the swamp in congress when they gained control in 2006. now the party faces two ethics trial for veteran house members. is this a problem for the midterm elections? obviously it is. this is a member of the appropriations committee and chairs the congressional urban congress. congressman, thank you for joining us. this is a tricky topic. i don t know anyone who wants to talk about it. least of all who know charlie rangel. nobody likes ethics issues, i don t think. but here s the president, and i know you must have been stunned by this, here s president obama on cbs morning news this friday. let s listen. i think charlie rangel served a very long time and served his constituents very well, but these allegations are troubling.
august or september and that could be a disaster for democrats. why just a reprimand? why a reprimand? if he is guilty of the charges . isn t he innocent until proven guilty. if he is a guilty why not a expulsion or censure. it is not like the normal criminal trial . there is no track record from the ethic s committee. they don t do anything to their own. tom delay, a mere slap on the wrist. it is not until somebody else, the media or watch dogs bring it up. that s one of charley rangel s defenses to lawyers. parents have heard it. he did it and he got away with it and why shouldn t i? charley rangeloused that defense to the lawyers.