House Censures Rep. Charlie Rangel

Yesterday afternoon, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) became only the 23rd Representative to be officially censured in Congressional history. Some members had called for an official reprimand, instead, but the House voted overwhelmingly for censure, 333 to 79. A defiant Rangel took to the floor in response, saying, “Even though it is painful to accept this vote, I am fully aware that this vote reflects, perhaps, the thinking of the members, but the political tide and the constituency of this body.?

Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent, was in the chamber as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi read the censure, and spoke with Rangel immediately afterward … and political science Professor Steve Smith joins us to put this public punishment into historical context.