March 3 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative Charles Rangel announced today that he sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking for a leave of absence from his post as chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. Rangel, a Democrat from New York, declined to give details as to what prompted his decision to relinquish leadership of the panel, which also has jurisdiction over Social Security, trade and Medicare. Rangel was admonished for breaking House rules on accepting gifts.
During the press conference, which lasted only minutes, Rangel said he requested the leave of absence until the Ethics Committee has completed its work. He said staying on would “distract me from what I have to do in terms of completion of the president’s health bill.”
Rangel added that he had offered to step down “from the very beginning” of the inquiry. He declined to take questions from reporters.
