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House Ethics Committee expands Rangel investigation.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The House Ethics Committee voted unanimously Thursday to expand its investigation of Rep. Charlie Rangel, one of the most powerful members of Congress.

The committee is now looking into Rangel's alleged failure to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of assets on mandatory congressional financial disclosure forms.

The prominent Democrat, whose district includes the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, has been under investigation for a year over several issues relating to financial impropriety. He has admitted to failing to pay taxes on $75,000 in income from a rental property he owns in the Dominican Republic.

Rangel heads the influential Ways and Means Committee - the lead body for writing tax law in the House of Representatives. He has said he is the victim of a smear campaign by some in the media.

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Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-New York, is making it known he's not happy with President Obama's recent meddling in the state's 2010 gubernatorial race.

(CNN) – Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-New York, is making it known he's not happy with President Obama's recent meddling in the state's 2010 gubernatorial race.

"The whole thing to me was not presidential," Rangel told the New York Daily News over the weekend. "It wasn't good for the president, and it wasn't good for the governor."

The comments came a week after the New York Times reported that administration officials had asked New York Rep. Gregory Meeks to convey to embattled Gov. David Paterson that Obama would prefer he not run for re-election next year.

The Times reported that the White House is concerned about Paterson's dismal poll numbers becoming a drag on the entire Democratic ticket in New York next year, and would prefer Andrew Cuomo - the state's popular attorney general - carry the party's banner instead.

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Rangel is under an ethics investigation

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday it is expanding its investigation into Rep. Charles Rangel.

In a statement the committee said, “…the investigative subcommittee shall have the additional jurisdiction to determine if Representative Rangel violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other standard of conduct….with respect to contributions of money or pledges of contributions of money to the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York from any person or entity associate with Nabors Industries.”

Recent press reports have raised questions into Rangel’s support of a tax break for Nabors Industries, a company which donated money to the City College academic center building bearing his name.

Rangel is already under investigation for using official letterhead to solicit funds for that same building, along with using a rent controlled apartment in New York for his political committee and for failing to pay taxes on a resort home the congressman owns in the Dominican Republic.

A congressional source tells CNN the expanded investigation does not include the matter of Rangel steering $80,000 to his son to design his campaign Web site.

Rangel told reporters Tuesday that in light of the allegations of ethical violations he still does not intend to step down from his chairmanship of a key tax writing committee.

Rangel said he is not stepping down from his powerful chairmanship.

(CNN) – Under fire for allegations of ethical violations, New York Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel told reporters Monday that he has no intention of stepping down as chairman of the key tax writing committee in the House.

"I don't see what purpose that would serve," Rangel said as he left a press conference with a group of Mayors. "I don't think reporters should be in the position of removing Chairmen.”

Recently press reports raised questions about Rangel's support for a tax break for a company that contributed to an academic center bearing his name and his campaign fund’s $80,000 payment to his son for designing his campaign Web site. The House ethics committee is already investigating Rangel for failing to pay taxes on a vacation home, using a rent controlled apartment for his political committee, and his use of official congressional stationary to solicit funds for the academic center.

Asked if the ethics committee should investigate the latest allegations, Rangel replied, "they should investigate everything that's been said."

Lashing out at the most recent report appearing in Politico that Rangel paid his son $80,000 to design his campaign Web site, a fee that experts say was legal but excessively high, Rangel said, "I think the reporter should crawl from under his rock and apologize to my son."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg meanwhile praised Rangel and said he continues to be a valuable ally for New York City.

Rangel is facing criticism over calling Sarah Palin 'disabled.'

(CNN) - Rep. Charlie Rangel, the longtime House Democrat already mired in possible ethics violations, is facing a new round of fire Saturday after describing Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin as "disabled."

Interviewed by New York television station WCBS Friday evening, the powerful New York congressman was asked why Democrats appear "afraid" of Palin.

"You got to be kind to the disabled," Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, responded in an answer the reporter interviewing him later called "astonishing."

Rangel later repeated the comment, adding, "There's no question about it - Politically it's a nightmare to think that a person's foreign policy is based on their ability to look at Russia from where they live."

Republicans, who have already been highly critical of Rangel over his failure to report taxes on income from his Dominican Republic beach house, are seizing on the comments.

"As if achieving new ethical lows was not sufficient, now Rangel is hitting a rhetorical low. Insulting the next vice president will not distract from Rangel's tax scandals," Republican National Committee Spokesman Alex Conant said.

Rangel reported paying $10,800 in back taxes Friday, according to the Associated Press, and complained that Republicans were waging a "guerrilla war" against him.

Shortly after the interview aired Friday night, Rangel issued a statement say his words were "misinterpreted."

"Sometimes in the heat of a political campaign you choose words that can be misinterpreted," he said. "Governor Palin is an obviously healthy person who in no way fits the description of disabled. I meant to say then, and I am saying now, that she entered the campaign with a disadvantage in the area of foreign policy."

Rangel was a supporter of Hillary Clinton's White House bid, but endorsed Obama immediately after the last round of primary contests in June.

Rangel is not resigning.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat, said Tuesday he would not step down as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means committee in the face of calls from the Republican leader in the House for him to resign.

Rangel has been under fire for failing to report income from a rental property he owns in the Dominican Republic. He admitted Tuesday he had not paid tax on the income, but said it was a mistake and that he would pay whatever back taxes he owes.