Rangel, Pressured, Meets With Leaders

Representative Charles B. Rangel met behind closed doors with House leaders on Monday evening, as he faced increasing pressure to relinquish his position as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Rangel, a Harlem Democrat, has been under fire in recent weeks for an assortment of ethical questions. Late last week, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, brushed aside Republican requests that he step down, saying they were an attempt to politicize his problems during an election season.

But with Mr. Rangel acknowledging on Monday that there were more errors and omissions on his financial disclosure forms, and announcing that he would hire a forensic accounting firm to pore over his records, Democrats have been forced to consider whether Mr. Rangel’s continued leadership will hurt the party’s candidates this fall.

Mr. Rangel also huddled with members of the Ways and Means Committee, and when he emerged, he declined to respond to questions about whether he was still chairman. However, Representative Sander Levin, a Michigan Democrat, called out to reporters, “You’re damned right he’s still the chairman.”

Read more: (David Kocieniewski and Raymond Hernandez, “Rangel, Pressured, Meets With Leaders,” The New York Times, 9/16/08)