Republicans Pressure Rangel To Quit Over Tax Scandal

by Leroy Baker, Tax-News.com, New York

11 September 2008

House Republican leaders have written to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), urging her to remove Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which presides over tax legislation, until mounting ethical charges against him, including claims of unreported income, are resolved.

Last week, numerous media outlets reported that Rangel has failed to report to both the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Clerk of the House at least USD75,000 in income from a luxury vacation property in the Caribbean and that he received an interest-free loan for the property – allegations, the GOP leaders cite, that have been confirmed by Rangel’s own attorney.

These latest revelations follow allegations which emerged earlier this summer that Chairman Rangel has been occupying four rent-controlled apartments in New York City, one of which he has illegally used as a campaign office. The Republicans pointed out that this violates House rules, as well as state and federal law.

“Given Chairman Rangel’s continuing ethical lapses, he cannot effectively carry out his duties as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee,” the leaders wrote to the Speaker.

“Thus, in order to remove one obstacle to this Democratic Congress actually addressing and solving working families’ concerns, you, as the Speaker of the House, must insist that Rep. Rangel step down from his Ways and Means chairmanship pending an investigation of his ethical lapses," their letter to Pelosi added.

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