Rangel pays IRS, says he is target of GOP 'guerrilla war'

by integrityforamerica | September 19, 2008 at 11:18 pm

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. Charles Rangel wrote six checks for about $10,800 in back taxes and then penned an open letter to New Yorkers on Friday, saying he has done nothing dishonorable and is the target of a GOP "guerrilla war."

Rep. Charles Rangel speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill Monday.

Rangel, the dean of the New York congressional delegation, has faced a string of embarrassing revelations: He didn't pay taxes on rental income for a beach house in the Dominican Republic; he used three rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem, including one for a campaign office; he used his congressional stationery to drum up private donations to a college center named after him.

He ended up writing a number of checks to cover taxes due on his 2004, 2005 and 2006 returns, related to the unreported rental income, said his chief of staff, George Dalley.

The federal government tab was $4,803, according to Rangel's accountants, and he wrote checks totaling $6,022 to New York state. The state figure includes a small percentage owed to New York City authorities.

Charlie Rangel a long time congressman and head of the Ways and Means Committee finds himself the target of multiple investigations. One would think that the allegations are about millions owed in taxes or multiple areas of misconduct that are not with the fine statesman standings so common in the house. However they are not, Rep Charlie Rangel is being hounded by the GOP. Every possible slip in his life is being brought against him and turned into a public show. I have never seen such a clear attempt to destroy a persons reputation. Rangel is not without flaw, but the latest abuse of the system to try and destroy his credibility only moves America away from the real issues.

With the economy failing and a war in Iraq, I hardly want to hear about a vacation home where a few thousand dollars wasn’t paid in taxes. If this is a big issue then every Congressman should line up right now with a check book and write blank checks to the IRS.

The constant search for imperfections within Rangels life has utilized needed manpower on an investigation that would go back 38 years and so far has only turned up small amounts of foolishness.

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