Rangel Pledges Cleanup of Records

Rep. Charles B. Rangel is under pressure to step down as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee until a financial probe is complete. (By Lauren Victoria Burke -- Associated Press)

Adding to the confusion, Rangel indicated that the condo was a rental property but had generated no rental income.

George Dalley, Rangel's chief of staff, said in an interview that Alma Rangel bought the condo as a possible retirement home with money from the 2003 sale of their longtime Washington residence. The Florida property got little use, Rep. Rangel knew few details about it and the couple sold it two years later, Dalley said.

"He had no idea of the price of the property and obviously showed his unfamiliarity with the price of Florida real estate" in his disclosure forms, Dalley said in an e-mail.

Dalley, who oversaw completion of Rangel's forms, took responsibility for the reporting errors. He said the congressman will file amendments to his disclosure forms.

The records also show that Rangel failed to fully account for many of his privately sponsored trips to destinations such as Taiwan, Singapore and the Caribbean islands. Of 20 trips listed on his annual disclosure forms, he reported seven on the separate travel disclosure forms members must file to provide a more detailed accounting of the cost and purpose of the trips.

In an e-mail, Dalley said that "there may have been staff error in failing to advise the congressman of the dual reporting requirement."

Staff writer Paul Kane and staff researcher Eddy Palanzo contributed to this report.