Rep. Charles Rangel, the New York Democrat who heads the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, is back under the ethics spotlight.
Charles_rangel_official_photo (2) This latest scrutiny comes after Rangel revealed on his amended 2007 financial disclosure report that he didn't originally detail hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets.
The new information, according to CQ Politics, includes an account at the Congressional Federal Credit Union worth at least $250,000, land in southern New Jersey and stock in PepsiCo and fast food conglomerate Yum! Brands.
Rangel already is under two separate investigations by the House ethics committee. Expect renewed calls, including from me, for Rangel to relinquish his Ways and Means chairmanship.
While I firmly believe in innocent until proven guilty, I also know that when it comes to the folks who have a major hand in how taxpayer money is collected and spent, public perception often is more compelling than facts.
Mr. Rangel, stay on the Committee and do your part, but it's time to let someone with fewer political and financial problems take the helm. You need to focus on clearing up your issues and let some other Representative give full attention to the important task of tax legislation.
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