Rangel's ethics probe

WASHINGTON, March 4 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., gave up his chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee while an ethics investigation plays out.

Rangel, who has been a member of Congress for 39 of his 79 years, stepped aside Wednesday following an admonishment from his fellow lawmakers for accepting corporate-paid trips.

He still faces inquires, however, into alleged tax problems and use of rent-controlled apartments in New York. There are also questions about his personal wealth, which he needed to restate at a figure hundreds of thousands of dollars higher than previously disclosed in congressional records.

He termed Wednesday's change as a "leave of absence," suggesting he expected to return to the leadership of the committee that oversees federal revenue-producing programs such as taxes but also has jurisdiction over unemployment benefits, Social Security and Medicare.

U.S. Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., became the committee's acting chairman following Rangel's announcement.