Thompson: Media 'Piling On' Rangel

Yesterday, speaking at a church rally for Representative Ed Towns, City Comptroller Bill Thompson took a moment to defend another guest at the event, Representative Charlie Rangel, who has recently been the subject of a number of critical news stories about his ethics.

Thompson said of Rangel, "He has been fighting the battle for years, and now he’s the chairman of the most powerful committee in the House of Representatives, and all of a sudden, people are taking shots at him.”

(Rangel has been chairman of the Ways and Means Committee since Democrats won a majority in the House in the midterm elections two years ago).

Afterward, I asked Thompson to elaborate.

“It just appears as if there’s a piling on, almost, against Congressman Rangel," Thompson said. "And at a certain point, whether it is valid or not, it just appears to be excessive. And I think he deserves to be defended.”

Thompson added, “We have the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee--that’s great for New York.”

“I don’t fully understand the excessive attacks on the congressman,” Thompson continued. “It isn’t just the stories, it’s the placement. I was particularly struck--you’re sleeping on the beach. That’s a front-page photo?”