Continuing a criticism lobbed during the campaign season, the National Republican Congressional Committee is criticizing U.S. Rep. Zack Space (D-Dover), as well as Congressmen-elects Steve Driehaus (D-Price Hill) and John Boccieri (D-Alliance), for their campaign connections to embattled U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.). 

The NRCC issued the criticism of the two, who have yet to take office, after the Washington Post penned an editorial saying that Rangel should step down from his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Rangel has been the subject of criticism after the New York Times revealed that he paid below market rates for four rent stabilized apartments, one of which he was using as a campaign office in apparent violation of New York State law. Rangel has since given up the office apartment and claimed publically that he has done nothing wrong. 

The Post made their call after the Times revealed what they called "the most galling" revelation of Rangel's "ethical tin ear." The Post wrote that the Times reported last Tuesday that Rangel "helped preserve a valuable tax loophole for an oil and gas drilling company while the company's chief executive, Eugene M. Isenberg, was pledging $1 million to the Charles B. Rangel School of Public Service at City College of New York."

"Mr. Rangel insists that the mutual favors were entirely coincidental," the Post wrote. "And quite a coincidence it seems to have been. On Feb. 12, 2007, the Times reported, the day the tax legislation was being considered in his committee, Mr. Rangel met in New York City with Mr. Isenberg to discuss the businessman's support of the Rangel School. Then Mr. Isenberg escorted Mr. Rangel across the room to his lobbyist, Kenneth J. Kies, who wanted to make sure Mr. Rangel would not close the loophole." 

The NRCC also cites the New York Post joining in the call for Rangel to step down from his position.

The Republican organization has now sent a form letter inserting the names of the three Democrats to lob their criticism of the legislators' connections with Rangel. This strategy of form letters criticizing Democrats on the Rangel situation was repeatedly used by the NRCC during the campaign season. 

"Now that the man who helped fund  (Steve Driehaus', Zack Space's, John Boccieri's) run to Congress has been outed for his most galling ethical violations to date, will (Driehaus, Space, Boccieri) finally condemn Rangel's actions and demand that the Harlem legislator step down from his post in the best interest of the American people," the NRCC asked. "Or will (Driehaus, Space, Boccieri) look the other way while Speaker Pelosi sweeps yet another of Rangel's multitude of offenses under the rug?"

The NRCC said that Rangel gave Driehaus $14,000 in campaign contributions, Boccieri $53,200 and Space $21,000. They also said Ohio voters shouldn't expect to hear anything from the Democrats denouncing Rangel. 

"[Steve Driehaus, John Boccieri and Zack Space were] elected to Congress with the help of dirty money from one of Washington's most blatantly corrupt legislators," said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain. "If [Driehaus, Boccieri, Space] truly is the ‘independent voice' that he claimed to be on the campaign trail, he'll come forward and join the calls for Charlie Rangel to step down from his committee chairmanship for the benefit of the American people. So far, though, [Driehaus, Boccieri, Space] has been conspicuously silent, and he's sending a clear signal to the people of Ohio that his idea of being an ‘independent voice' is shirking his responsibilities to his constituents in an effort to stay in good graces with crooked Washington insiders."

PolitickerOH.com has not yet received response from the offices of the three legislators criticized by the NRCC.