HARRISBURG – Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding Congressman Joe Sestak’s close relationship with corrupt New York Congressman Charlie Rangel, who was found guilty by the House Ethic Committee for accepting corporate-funded vacations to the Caribbean.

“It’s time for Joe Sestak to step up against his benefactor and accept responsibility for taking $12,000 from Congressman Charlie Rangel,” Gleason said.  “I personally call on him to return every last penny of his campaign donations, and join in the call for him to step down as Chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.

“It’s very troubling to know that Sestak is refusing to disassociate himself from corrupt New York Congressman Charlie Rangel.  The longer Congressman Sestak keeps Charlie Rangel’s ‘dirty money,’ the longer he publicly condones his corrupt behavior.

“The people of the Pennsylvania deserve a leader who doesn’t need to be told when to take an ethical stand.  Sestak’s failure to return the $12,000 in campaign contributions that he’s received from Charlie Rangel should certainly raise red flags with his constituents, some of whom are struggling everyday just to make ends’ meet.”

As The Hill notes below, two more of Sestak’s Democratic colleagues have called for embattled U.S. Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY) to step down as the powerful House Ways and Means Committee Chairman. In addition, other House Democrats are stepping forward and returning past campaign donations from the corrupt Chairman.

• ·         Among them is U.S. Representative Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) who said yesterday: “The bipartisan ethics committee has found that Congressman Rangel did not live up to the standards Members owe to their constituents with this matter and continues to look into other serious breaches. While I deeply respect his lifetime of service as a soldier and as a U.S. representative, I can no longer accept his support.”

According to the Federal Election Commission, Congressman Sestak received $12,000 in overall campaign contributions from Congressman Rangel and his Political Action Committees.
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