Charlie Rangel

As Democratic candidates for Congress around the country return campaign contributions from Congressman Charlie Rangel after his tax evasion admission, PA-11 Congressman Paul Kanjorski again proves he is his own man and no one is going to tell him what to do. Rangel is scheduled as a guest at a Washington D.C. fundraiser tonight for Kanjorski.

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY): Observer PhotoWASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke) is set to be the beneficiary of a Sept. 24 fundraiser featuring Charlie Rangel, the embattled chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

The event, scheduled to take place at The Monocle restaurant on Capitol Hill, will help fill Kanjorski’s campaign coffers as he prepares to face off against Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. Aides to Rangel and Kanjorski confirmed the event but did not provide any further details.

The fundraiser comes as Rangel, a nineteen-term congressman from New York City, is facing mounting questions over his finances.

Just today, Rangel announced in a press conference that he would be paying $5,000 in unpaid back taxes on a beach vacation home he owns in the Dominican Republic. Rangel is also facing questions about owning four rent-controlled New York City apartments at below-market rates and using congressional stationary to solicit funds for the construction of an academic center bearing his name. Rangel has asked the House ethics committee to probe all three actions, though he has declined to step down from his post on the Ways and Means Committee.