House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other House leaders paid tribute to Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) on September 22, despite the fact that he was overwhelmingly censured by the House less than a year ago for ethics violations and has a history of courtship with Soviet and Communist subversive activities.

In December 2010, when the House was controlled by the Democratic majority of the 111th Congress, Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly voted 333-79 to censure Congressman Rangel with regard to unpaid taxes on property he owned in the Dominican Republican, other hidden assets, and for improper use of the his campaign office to raise funds for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York — all of which are clear violations of House rules.

Congressional leaders, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Speaker of the House John Boehner still felt it prudent to honor the former head of the Ways and Means Committee with a special reception and the unveiling of a portrait in the Longworth House Office Building.

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Photo of Rep. Charlie Rangel: AP Images