'I haven't stolen enough to afford a lawyer!' -- Accusations that racism is behind Rangel's convictions to begin in 3... 2...

Longtime Democrat crook Charlie Rangel was convicted on 11 of 13 ethics charges today despite his claim that he'd had only two years to prepare a defense.

Harlem Rep. Charlie Rangel did break the rules and was convicted this morning of 11 of the 13 ethics violations leveled against him by a House panel. The decision came a day after the 80-year-old lawmaker and former chairman of the Ways and Means Committee walked out of the proceedings to protest his lack of a lawyer.”

Devil is in the punishment details, of course.

Full House ethics committee will determine consequences. I know. Don’t hold your breath.

...Flashback: The House Ethics Committee is a corruption-enabling cesspool

...Flashback: House ethics committee foxes guard the corruptocrat henhouse

...Flashback: Charlie’s angels:

...the 79-year-old congressman has given campaign donations to 119 members of Congress, including three of the five Democrats on the House Ethics Committee who are charged with investigating him...

...Charlie’s “angels” on the committee include Congressmen Ben Chandler of Kentucky, G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina and Peter Welch of Vermont. All have received donations from Rangel.

If the system were working correctly, Rangel would be wearing an orange jumpsuit and breaking rocks in Leavenworth.

As it is, he'll probably retire in a few years with a full pension and all of the cash he's magically accumulated as a devoted public servant.

No matter what sort of slap on the wrist Rangel receives, expect the usual cadre of race hustlers to elbow each other out of the way to get some face-time on legacy media.

But everyone knows that things need to change in Washington. And race has nothing to do with it. Corruption does. And plunging the likes of Rangel, Waters and Feinstein out of the bowl represents only the beginning.