Charles Rangel censure vote: Five others the House has slapped down

The House is poised to vote whether to censure Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. It’s a punishment seldom used, but here are the five most recent cases.

Rep. Charles Diggs, 1979

Payroll and mail fraud led to the censure of Rep. Charles Diggs (D) of Michigan on July 31, 1979. He came under investigation and was indicted by a grand jury in 1978 on multiple charges, including taking kickbacks from his congressional staff. Diggs maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and voters from his district reelected him by 79 percent.

All the while, then-freshman Rep. Newt Gingrich (R) of Georgia worked to remove Diggs from office. The House eventually and unanimously censured Diggs on July 31, 1979.

Leigh Montgomery contributed to this report

4 of 5
You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us