Rangel Insists Ethics Tumult Will Pass

Michael Henry Adams, a Harlem historian, said Schley does not pose a threat. "But the fact that he was able . . . to get on the ballot seems to indicate that there is a certain amount of displeasure with Congressman Rangel," he said.

Rangel, a high school dropout, became the most powerful African American in Congress when he ascended to the Ways and Means chairmanship last year. The Democrat had raised millions for his party, built alliances and waited out Republican rule so that when Democrats won control of Congress two years ago, he would be ensured the plum post.

Rangel was elected to Congress from the state assembly in 1970 by ousting longtime Democratic Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a Harlem political hero whose last years were marred by corruption allegations that prompted his expulsion from office. Powell sued to win back his seat, but when he returned, Rangel defeated him in a primary contest.

Rangel became part of a quartet of young black political leaders in New York that included Dinkins; former state senator Basil Paterson, the father of the current New York governor; and Percy Sutton, a former Manhattan borough president. The three have been offering Rangel counsel through his recent troubles.

"This appears to me, and to Charlie, that this is clearly a partisan effort," Dinkins said. "The point is, he didn't shoot anybody. Whatever errors of omission occurred, it wasn't designed for him to enrich himself."

Rangel's political muscle was on display earlier this year when he delivered his district to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) in New York's Democratic presidential primary -- the only black-majority district in the state that did not line up behind Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).

Rangel's troubles began this summer with a succession of news stories, each revealing a new ethics problem.

Rangel acknowledged this month that he had not disclosed or paid taxes on at least $75,000 in rental income from a beachfront villa in the Dominican Republic that he has owned since 1988 -- a home financed, in part, with a no-interest loan from the developer. It was an embarrassing admission for a politician who heads the committee that writes the nation's tax code.

Two weeks ago, he wrote checks totaling $10,800 to the Internal Revenue Service and New York state to cover back taxes. He pledged to hire a forensic accountant to untangle his records and to release the accountant's report and 20 years of tax returns.

Rangel also came under fire for occupying three rent-stabilized apartments in a luxury building in Harlem, news that did not go over well in a city where affordable housing is scarce. He gave up one apartment he used as a campaign office after critics noted that the practice violated state law. Some contend that Rangel's below-market rent amounts to an improper gift from the landlord; the congressman disagrees.

Rangel sent at least 150 letters on congressional stationery to philanthropic and business leaders as part of efforts to raise $30 million for the new Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York. Ethics experts note that some potential donors had business interests before his committee, and that using official resources to solicit money for outside charities violates House rules. Rangel said he considered the letters official business, but conceded that he might use personal stationery next time.

The ethics panel recently added an item: Rangel's long-term storage of a broken-down 1972 Mercedes-Benz sedan in a House garage, also an apparent rules violation.