Rep. Charlie Rangel, the 81-year-old congressman who is facing intense primary competition in his bid for a 22nd term in Congress, says he'll be fine without Obama's backing.
Asked in a CNN interview whether he needs the president's support, he answered, "Of course not," before adding nonetheless that he would "welcome" it.
In the summer of 2010, Obama had said that he hoped Rangel — who has been censured by the House for ethics violations — would "end his career with dignity."
"He's somebody who's at the end of his career. Eighty years old. I'm sure that — what he wants is to be able to — end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens," the president said.
What does Rangel think about those comments? He says there was nothing negative about them.
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