The House of Representatives has voted to censure Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York following his conviction of ethics violations related to his personal finances. Last month a congressional panel convicted Rangel for acts including failing to report rental income, improperly leasing a rent-stabilized apartment, and receiving donations from people with business before Congress. Rangel is the first House member in nearly three decades to be censured. Speaking before the full chamber, Rangel maintained his innocence.

Rep. Charles Rangel: “In my heart, I truly feel good. It’s not all the commitments that are made to God in 1950; a lot of it has to do with the fact that I know in my heart that I’m not going to be judged by this Congress, but I’m going to be judged by my life, my activities, my contributions to society. And I just apologize for the awkward position that some of you that are in. But at the end of the day, as I started off saying, compared to where I’ve been, I haven’t had a bad day since. Thank you.”