Joe Sestak -- On the wrong side of the plumb line -- as always

For Immediate Release—July 23, 2010

Toomey Calls on Sestak to Return Rangel Contributions and Hold Himself Accountable
Allentown – U.S. Senate candidate and former small business owner Pat Toomey called on Congressman Joe Sestak to live up to his own standard of accountability and return $12,000 in contributions from the ethically-challenged Rep. Charlie Rangel.
Yesterday, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee announced that Charlie Rangel is being charged with multiple ethics violations following a two-year investigation.
Over the past week, Congressman Sestak has refused to keep his pledge and return over $100,000 in contributions from people who received earmarks through his Congressional office, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
And so far, Congressman Sestak has refused to return at least $12,000 in donations from Rep. Rangel’s campaign committee and leadership PAC.

* Sestak accepted $2,000 from Rangel for Congress on September 18, 2006 (CQMoneyLine).
* Sestak accepted $5,000 from Charlie Rangel’s National Leadership PAC in 2008 (Open Secrets).
* Sestak accepted $5,000 from Charlie Rangel’s National Leadership PAC in 2006 (Open Secrets).

To make matters worse, Congressman Sestak has voted to back up the ethically challenged Rangel multiple times. When Sestak had the chance to save taxpayers $2 million and eliminate an earmark for the “Charlie Rangel Center for Public Service” in New York City, requested by Rep. Charlie Rangel, Congressman Sestak voted to keep the earmark (RC #678, 07/19/07). Now this “Charlie Rangel Center” is a subject of Rep. Rangel’s many ethics violations.
In addition, in October of 2009, Sestak voted against a measure to remove Rep. Rangel as chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee for the duration of the ethics investigation (RC #759, 10/07/09).
“Throughout the campaign, Congressman Sestak has spoken about accountability and putting principle over politics, but it is now becoming clear that his pledges and lofty promises are just hollow words from another Washington insider,” said Toomey Communications Director Nachama Soloveichik. “If Congressman Sestak is serious about holding himself accountable and putting principle over politics, he would return the $119, 650 he took in violation of his own pledge and he would return the $12,000 he took from Rep. Charlie Rangel.”

Paid for by Toomey for Senate