Rangel Crashes Perry's Panhandling Party Uptown

By Kenneth R. Bazinet

Forget the sleazy Salahis, Rep. Charlie Rangel is the new king of the gatecrashers.

The Harlem Democrat showed up last night at what was supposed to be a hush-hush, off-the-record fundraiser for Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s bid for the GOP presidential nomination at the Papasito Mexican Grill uptown in Manhattan.

“I wanted to make him feel comfortable,” Rangel said, according to Politico’s Ben Smith and Maggie Haberman.

The cowboy candidate is spending a couple of days away from his Tea Party base of supporters, panhandling in New York City with a more mainstream set of GOP backers.

The fundraiser at the Papasito restaurant and bar was for two dozen or so Hispanic businessmen, reportedly raising $50,000 for Perry’s campaign.

Read more by Kenneth R. Bazinet at The Baz File