House Democrats easily turned aside Republicans’ half-hearted effort to tar Democrats with questions of ethical lapses Thursday.

On Thursday afternoon, they handily defeated, 254 to 138, a resolution to censure powerful House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) that had been drafted by Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). Voting present were 34 members.

In a floor speech before the vote, Rangel noted that while “there is no one in this House more thick-skinned when playing politics,” the attacks on his reputation based on news reports were unfair.

“There’s no reason for Republicans or Democrats to do that to each other based on a newspaper story,” Rangel said.

The resolution cited news reports questioning Rangel’s use of rent-controlled apartments in New York that are owned by a powerful developer.