The Saga Continues: Rangel's Latest Tax Woes

Is it just me or does anyone else get the feeling Charles Rangel thinks he's above the law? Well, if you've become so entrenched in Washington with little if any opposition in your home district, it's difficult not to get that impression.

Today we have another installment in the Rangel chronicles, as it's reported that Rangel is in violation of yet another Congressional rule, But don't worry, Democrats, I'm sure the worst House Speaker ever will find nothing wrong with this.

Rep. Charles Rangel has been using a House of Representatives parking garage for years as free storage space for his old Mercedes-Benz - a violation of congressional rules and a potential new tax woe for the embattled lawmaker, The Post has learned.

The 1972 silver sedan is registered to Rangel, who is already under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, and is parked in a coveted section of an indoor lot, near elevators that lead to his office.

The car is covered with a protective tarp and has no license plates. Rangel's registration on the vehicle expired in 2004, state records show.

House rules forbid use of the garage for long-term storage more than 45 days - and congressional aides told The Post that Rangel's car has been sitting there for years.

The veteran Harlem Democrat, who is chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, is under fire for numerous lapses.

He has asked that the House ethics panel examine his possession of four rent-regulated apartments; his tax liability stemming from his ownership of a vacation home in the Dominican Republic; and his use of House stationery to solicit donations for a "center for public service" he is launching.

A House Web site on parking regulations informs anyone with a space that, under IRS regulations, the benefit of the free parking is considered "imputed income" and must be declared to the government.

The spaces are valued by the House at $290 per month, the site says - about the monthly cost of leasing a space in a private DC-area garage.

If the car has been in that space since its license plates were surrendered four years ago, the imputed income would be nearly $5,000.

In addition to the storage issue, the vehicle - valued at roughly $10,000 to $15,000 - runs afoul of other rules set forth on the House Web site because it does not have license plates and does not display a current House parking permit.

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles records show the Mercedes, along with several other cars, is registered to Rangel at his address on West 135th Street.

That address may sound familiar. It's where Chuckles has his four rent-controlled apartments that started this snowball rolling.

More here on the Narcissus Award winning hack.

Wrangling Rangel is no small order.

He's immensely popular on the Hill, even among many Republican lawmakers.

He's perhaps Pelosi's highest-profile committee chairman.

And he's one of her very top African-American lieutenants whom she simply cannot cross.

So, she folded like a cheap pantsuit.

And Rangel remains at large and in charge of extracting your hard-earned tax dollars.

After all, snatching $2 million from the Treasury for a temple to himself under the guise of an educational center passes for business as usual here.

Exploiting the city's rent-stabilization laws to make himself a palace worthy of a glossy photo spread in a coffee-table book is just how he rolls.

Lying and cheating on income and taxes? How do you think these people get elected to Congress in the first place?

Hello, anyone awake at GOP headquarters? Start the ads, already.

Of course, you'll be called racist by this thug, but what else is new. This guy is manna from heaven. Start taking advantage of it now.