Mr. Rangel's messThis legendary black congressman suffered from allegations about misusing his position as a powerful committee chairman. Questions arose about his travel habits and a seaside property. His displays of wealth ill-represented his poor Harlem constituency. Is it Charles Rangel, the embattled current chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee? No, but it's close.
It's Adam Clayton Powell Jr. - the man Mr. Rangel defeated in 1970. Four decades later, Mr. Rangel is experiencing uncanny parallels to situations that destroyed Mr. Powell's congressional career. Despite the ignominious circumstances of Mr. Powell's forced retirement, he remains fondly remembered for his civil rights work and his pre-scandal legislative accomplishments.
History may not be so kind to Mr. Rangel, since he and his colleagues assumed power on a promise to clean up Washington's "culture of corruption."
Back in 1967, a congressional investigation alleged that Mr. Powell had misappropriated Education and Labor Committee funds for his personal use. Today, Mr. Rangel is denying doing anything "morally wrong" after official congressional stationery was used to raise millions for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City University of New York. Ethics experts, however, say using House resources to raise money from and for outside entities — especially some of those sources are businesses with matters before his committee such as the recently bailed-out AIG - violates House rules.
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