Rangel Fights New Ethics Charges

The ethics problems are piling up for Charlie Rangel, Harlem’s veteran congressman and the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, reports Politico, but Rangel's not ceding anything. Instead, he's planning a counterattack on the New York Times, which alleges he worked to save a tax loophole worth millions to an oil company whose CEO pledged $1 million to a school named for Rangel.

Rangel says Times reporting on the committee's action on the loophole is erroneous. The Ethics Committee is investigating earlier allegations that Rangel violated rent stabilization laws by controlling several apartments, and failed to pay taxes on income from a vacation home. Republicans allege that Democrats are pushing for a quick wrap-up. “How serious can an ethics investigation be when you receive ‘assurances’ that it will be done in short order, even though there are new allegations coming to light almost every week?” says a GOP aide.