WASHINGTON — Rep. Charles Rangel yesterday stepped down under pressure as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, trying to remove himself as an election-year symbol of corruption that could doom Democrats at the polls.
Rangel said his departure was temporary, although most observers believe he will never return. The Harlem Democrat’s move came as momentum had been building behind a Republican push to topple him following an Ethics Committee admonishment last week for taking corporate-sponsored junkets.
Nervous Democrats across the country had encountered fierce criticism for supporting Rangel and accepting “tainted” campaign cash from his political committee.
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Several House Democrats said yesterday they’ll give the Rangel contributions to charity, including $14,000 from Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, $16,000 from Debbie Halvorson of Illinois, and $16,000 from Jim Mines of Connecticut.
All told, Democratic candidates so far returned or gave to charity a total of $353,000 of Rangel’s contributions, according to the National Republican Campaign Committee.
“In order to avoid my colleagues having to defend me during their elections, I have, this morning, sent a letter to Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi, asking her to grant me a leave of absence [from the committee] until such time as the Ethics Committee completes its work,” Rangel said yesterday.
Most Democrats expressed relief they didn’t have to decide Rangel’s fate in a vote Republicans were expected to force by week’s end.
Rangel’s move touched off speculation that the 79-year-old Democratic lawmaker, who has been in Congress for 40 years, might not seek re-election this year.
Rangel told The Post that he lost control amid a political maelstrom erupting from several ongoing ethics investigations, including one finished last week that concluded he broke House gift-ban rules by taking corporate-sponsored Caribbean junkets in 2007 and 2008. It was first reported by The Post.
Ethics investigators also are probing Rangel for not paying taxes on rental income from a villa in the Dominican Republic and not disclosing more than $500,000 in assets on financial disclosure forms, as first reported by The Post.
Other investigations focus on an alleged sweetheart deal in which he leased four rent-stabilized Lenox Terrace apartments in Harlem and used his congressional office to raise money for the City College center named after him.
“If you were in my position, you would know that you can’t control events,” a somber Rangel told The Post. “It’s really fluid. Things are changing every minute.”
Pelosi (D-Calif.), who had been backing Rangel until the Democratic tide turned against him Tuesday, said she would “honor his request” for a leave of absence from the chairmanship.
Rangel’s successor as chairman of the powerful tax-writing committee was expected to be Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), who has a reputation for being a loose cannon. Although Stark is not the first choice of House Democratic leaders, he is next in line.
Rangel’s fall from grace shook voters on his home turf uptown, evoking anger, dismay and sadness.
“People are quite frankly shell-shocked, and it’s kind of a rough thing, especially for those of us from Harlem,” said Manhattan Democratic county leader Keith Wright.
He said it seemed like there was a “conspiracy” to bring down Harlem pols, including Gov. Paterson, hanging on for dear life in Albany.
“It’s sad,” said Duane Rose, 48, a die-hard Rangel supporter. “I guess he was in over his head. People forget about the good he’s done. They only remember the bad.”
Others worried Rangel’s diminished stature would hurt the neighborhood.
“We need all the help we can get,” said Michael Tucker, 25.
Clinton Colson, 64, said Rangel “should have been gone a long time ago.”
“Charlie has the most experience, but he has the most sticky fingers,” Colson said as he paused at the corner of Lenox Avenue and 125th Street.
“When you get caught with your hands in the cookie jar, that’s what happens. Don’t be mad. Get your hand out of the jar!”
Additional reporting by Lorena Mongelli and Maggie Haberman
HERE’S HOW THE POST BROKE THE STORY
The Post broke the story on congressional junketeering that led to Rep. Charles Rangel’s decision yesterday to give up his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The blockbuster Sept. 14, 2008, report in The Post focused on Rangel’s decision to take a lavish junket to Sandals in Antigua in 2007 — in violation of strict new House rules about privately paid trips.