NewsWhore
03-03-2010, 02:20 PM
The dean of the New York delegation to the United States Congress, Charles B. Rangel, has announced that he will step down temporarily as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman following a series of inquiries by the House ethics committee concerning alleged violations of the Congressional gift rules. He is said to have accepted corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008. Readers might remember that Rangel, who has represented Harlem since 1971, is already under investigation by the ethics panel for more serious accusations surrounding fundraising practices, evasion of income tax on his villa in the Dominican Republic and the use of rent-stabilized apartments provided by a Manhattan real estate developer.
The House Ways and Means Committee is one of the most powerful committees in the House of Representatives since its members approve all tax measures and much of the government spending programs. Rangel was one of several members of the Black Caucus who accepted trips to Barbados, Antigua and St. Maarten that were backed by AT&T and Verizon. The lawmakers were told to repay US$11,800 each. Mr. Rangel's support in the House has been eroding and may slip away altogether due to the very serious nature of the federal income tax issues surrounding his villa in the Dominican Republic.
See: www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/nyregion/04rangel.html?hp (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/nyregion/04rangel.html?hp)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#12)
The House Ways and Means Committee is one of the most powerful committees in the House of Representatives since its members approve all tax measures and much of the government spending programs. Rangel was one of several members of the Black Caucus who accepted trips to Barbados, Antigua and St. Maarten that were backed by AT&T and Verizon. The lawmakers were told to repay US$11,800 each. Mr. Rangel's support in the House has been eroding and may slip away altogether due to the very serious nature of the federal income tax issues surrounding his villa in the Dominican Republic.
See: www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/nyregion/04rangel.html?hp (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/nyregion/04rangel.html?hp)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#12)