Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY) is currently under investigation by the House Ethics committee for, among other things, improper fund-raising. On Tuesday, Rangel took the opportunity of a rare recess session to present an 30 minute “defense” of charges he faces (and ostensibly his political career) in an epically rambling speech that defined the term “political theater.” If you missed the speech and would like to watch the highlights (with comedic commentary provided by Jon Stewart) then please view the clip below.

The term “political theater” gets thrown around a lot, but that was exactly what happened on the House floor today. In a moment so unexpected the cable news networks seemed caught off guard (until they all went wall-to-wall), Rep. Charlie Rangel spoke for more than 20 minutes about his pending ethics trial.

Must-see video.

Two African-American members of the House or Representatives (Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters) are currently under investigation for ethics charges. The Daily Show addressed this coincidence by bringing on “Senior Black Correspondent” Larry Wilmore, who alleged that the two were only guilty of LWB – “Legislating While Black.” When Stewart shot down that defense, Willard literally played the “race card.” Do not deny yourself and watch the whip-smart and hilarious segment from last night. And if you’re not careful, you might just learn something.

I’m not entirely sure this is the sort of support Charlie Rangel is ideally hoping for, but one imagines that after the President not-so-gently makes it clear he would like you to quietly exit stage left, this may be the best you can expect. On Fox News Sunday today Bill Kristol declared that the Republicans should leave Charlie Rangel alone.

In a clip released by CBS News of their exclusive interview set to air on Sunday, President Barack Obama speaks out on the Rep. Charlie Rangel ethics scandal for the first time, calling the allegations “very troubling” and expressing hope that the long-serving Congressman will be able to “end his career with dignity.”

It’s been a tough week for Congressman Charlie Rangel, who is facing a series of major ethical violations that are making for some embarrassing media coverage. But there is at least one major TV pundit willing to stand by Rep. Rangel’s side: Fox News contributor and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol.

Jon Stewart unveiled a new segment last night in which he ran down the latest news of alleged corruption of elected officials that included John Kerry, Charlie Rangel and Rod Blagojevich. (Yes, some are sure to note that all of his targets are Democrats.) But if one needs evidence that we’ve entered a slow news cycle, just know that The Daily Show mocked of Kerry’s rhetorical style from his presidential run of six years ago!

Today on Studio B Shep Smith and Juan Williams (side note: these two make a great pair) had a really interesting exchange over possibility of a trial, whether Rangel’s prosecution is racially charged (Rangel has said a trial would be better than being “lynched”), and why not even the president has the ability to talk Rangel off the ledge (he doesn’t appear to think he’s on).

O’Reilly Factor guest host Laura Ingraham and John Stossel discussed the scandal that bloomed last week over Sen. John Kerry who was accused of registering his family’s multi-million dollar yacht in Rhode Island so as to avoid Massachusetts’ high taxes. The two used this as a springboard to talk about other “Do as I say, not as I do” scandals involving liberals which both seemed to enjoy. They moved from one scandal to the next with the delight of a child sizing up her presents on Christmas morning.

In the wake of Rep. Charlie Rangel calling NBC Correspondent Luke Russert‘s questions about his ethics violations “stupid,” Glenn Beck had some fun with the story today on the radio.

In a rare move, a Fox News host strongly defended an NBC/MSNBC reporter.

Rep. Charlie Rangel is in hot water for some shady behavior with his taxes that has gotten him congressional reprimands for ethics violations. Apparently the whole experience has made him a bit crabby, because when asked about the taxes on his properties in the Dominican Republic by MSNBC’s Luke Russert, he refuses to answer what “you know is a dumb question” and laments that NBC was once “a channel that did have some respect.”

Last night Beck, and his pipe, took a moment to weigh in on the NYT coverage of David Paterson. The short version is that the New York Times, and by extension, the Democratic Machine, is being overly hard on poor Gov. Paterson. This in stark difference to Charlie Rangel. But why?

We were all looking forward to hearing what former House Means and Ways Chairman Charlie Rangel would be saying on Larry King Live tonight. Alas, it is not to be, as Rangel backed out of his appearance 5 hours before he was scheduled to sit down with the CNN host. Of course, this message was announced in the most professional way possible:

Juan Williams was on Morning Edition this morning and was asked by Steve Inskeep whether he felt race played a factor involved when it came to the predicaments of either Charlie Rangel or David Paterson. Answer: No. But also? It’s far more complicated than that. For everyone involved.

After the confusion last night about whether or not Congressman Charlie Rangel – head of the House Ways and Means Committee – was stepping down over several charges of unethical money routing and accepting comped corporate trips, the NY Democrat announced this morning that he would be taking a temporary leave of absence. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews can’t believe it.

Tucker Carlson’s ‘Daily Caller,’ the newly-launched conservative answer to The Huffington Post, promised lightning-fast updates with their “every seven minutes” motto. Judging by the current Daily Caller headline, they may need to check their dial-up connection or something, because their lead story is literally yesterday’s news: a report by Jon Ward, about Charlie Rangel’s refusal to step down, that was filed last night.

At this point it’s really tempting fate to ask what else could go wrong with New York State politics. Just now Rep. Charlie Rangel announced he was ‘temporarily’ stepping down as chairman of the Ways and Means committee. Yesterday, Mort Zuckerman, who was rumored to have pushed Harold Ford out of his run for Senate dropped out of the race. And then there is David Paterson. Oh David Paterson.

What is going on over at the House tonight? We’re getting conflicting reports about Rep. Charlie Rangel, chairman (or possibly now ex-chairman) of the House Ways and Means Committee. While the question of whether or not Rangel did violate ethical boundaries is no longer up for debate, but whether or not he’ll have to give up his chairmanship is.

Judge Jeanine Pirro, Rev. Al Sharpton and Ann Coulter joined Geraldo Rivera on Geraldo at Large last night to talk about the standing allegations against New York Rep. Charlie Rangel. Everyone was taken aback to hear Ann Coulter defend Rangel — you can even hear a few whoas in the background. But then again Coulter’s main defense was that Rangel’s alleged ethics violations are ‘only a little bit worse than what Tom Delay was accused of.’