Rangel pressed on AIG bonus tax hypocrisy (Video)

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) faced an awkward exchange Thursday morning when pressed by a CNBC anchor over how Rangel could push a surtax on corporate bonuses while facing an investigation into his own tax payments.

“All due respect Congressman — when you talk about violating the public trust, you’ve had some tax issues of your own,” CNBC anchor Mark Raines told Rangel during an exchange in which the New York lawmaker was raging against how AIG’s bonuses “violate the public trust.”

“Well, I wouldn’t think you would know what they are since what I did or did not is being investigated by a committee,” Rangel shot back. “So what you’re doing is reporting on what a reporter says because you have no clue what problems, if any, I have.”

Rangel called reports in the New York Times alleging that he had not adequately paid taxes on properties in New York City and the Dominican Republic “irresponsible” and inaccurate. He also reiterated that he would not step down as Ways and Means chairman while under investigation.

“I’m not thinking about stopping my responsibilities as member and Chairman of the Committee because of a reporter’s report,” he explained. “I am telling you that you have to have some confidence in the Ethics Committee.”

“I’m not telling you anything except false accusations have been made by a reporter and picked up by other reporters, and find people like you asking me questions where you don’t have anything except the reporter that has said it,” he added.

Watch a video of the exhange below: