Charlie Rangel's Replacement Booted, Too

The House Ways and Means Committee ousted its second chairman in as many days today, when Nancy Pelosi announced Sandy Levin as its new acting chairman. When Charles Rangel stepped down from the chairman job yesterday, Pelosi picked the committee’s senior Democrat Pete Stark to take over, the Hill explains. But several committee members balked, arguing that the Californian is prone to firing off inflammatory or eccentric comments.

Pelosi assistant and committee member Chris Van Hollen acknowledged that there’d been “lively discussions” about Stark’s selection. The speaker, meanwhile, brushed off critics. “The problems of the last few days, they're behind us...we have a new chairman,” Pelosi said. Stark sent a letter to Pelosi announcing his resignation, saying he hadn’t wanted the job after all—he prefers to continue helming the Health Subcommittee. (More Charles Rangel stories.)