Charlie Rangel sues House of Representatives to overturn censure

As you might recall, New York Congressman Charles Rangel stepped down from his position chairing the powerful House Ways and Means Committee after facing multiple allegations of ethics violations and failures to comply with U.S. tax laws. After an investigation, the House Ethics Committee found Rangel guilty of 11 counts of violating House ethics rules and in December 2010, the full House of Representatives approved a sanction of censure against him.

Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y. (AP)

Despite avoiding criminal charges for his nefarious deals, Rangel is hitting back, suing several of his fellow lawmakers for "numerous, flagrant, knowing and intentional violations" of his due process rights.

Rangel, 82, seeks to overturn the censure and says in the court papers that he suffers "irreparable harm that cannot be compensated by money damages."

Rangel's office referred questions to his attorney, Jay Goldberg, who did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The lawsuit names Boehner; Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., who was chairwoman of the House ethics committee at the time of the censure; and other committee members and staff. The congressman alleges that evidence was withheld by the committee staff.

The lawsuit doesn't allege any wrongdoing by Boehner. Democrats controlled the chamber and the ethics panel at the time of Rangel's censure. In the complaint, Rangel named Boehner as a defendant because he says it would be up to Boehner to purge the censure from the Congressional Record.

Yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath.