Legal

After finishing law school Rangel passed the state bar exam and was hired by Weaver, Evans & Wingate, a prominent black law firm.^[34] Rangel made little money in private practice, but did build a positive reputation for providing legal assistance to black civil rights activists.^[5] In 1961, Rangel was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York by U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy^[5] and worked under U.S. Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau. He stayed in the position for a year.^[5]

Next Rangel was legal counsel to the New York Housing and Redevelopment Board,^[35] associate counsel to the Speaker of the New York State Assembly,^[35] a law clerk to pioneering Judge James L. Watson,^[36] and general counsel to the National Advisory Commission on Selective Service (1966), a presidential commission created to revise draft laws.^[37][38] His interest in politics grew.^[39]

Rangel met Alma Carter, a social worker, in the mid-late-1950s while on the dance floor of the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.^[4] They married on July 26, 1964.^[39] They have two children, Steven and Alicia, and three grandsons.^[39]

Political

He ran for party district leader and lost during an intense Democratic factional dispute in Harlem in 1963.^[40] In 1964, Rangel and the man who would become his political mentor, Assemblyman Percy Sutton, merged clubs as part of forming the John F. Kennedy Democratic Club in Harlem (which later became part of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic Club).^[5][35][41]

Rangel participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, marching for four days even though he had planned only a brief appearance.^[9] He developed what The New York Times would label his irrepressible energy and joking style of self-mockery during this time.^[9]

Rangel was selected in September 1966 by Harlem Democrats to run in the 72nd District for the New York State Assembly, after the incumbent Percy Sutton had been elected by the New York City Council members from Manhattan as Manhattan Borough President to fill the vacancy caused by the appointment of Constance Baker Motley as a federal judge.^[42] Rangel was victorious, serving in the 177th and 178th New York State Legislatures until 1970.^[5] He emerged as a leader among the black legislators in the state and became politically friendly with Governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller, who arranged for Rangel to run on the Republican as well as Democratic ballot line during his 1968 re-election.^[5]

Rangel supported legalization of the numbers game, saying "For the average Harlemite, playing numbers... is moral and a way of life."^[9] He also opposed harsher penalties on prostitutes, on grounds of ineffectiveness.^[9] He was strongly concerned by the effects of drugs on Harlem, advocated that drug pushers be held accountable for the crimes committed by their users, and in general believed the problem was at the level of a threat to national security.^[43][44]

In 1969, Rangel ran for the Democratic nomination for New York City Council President. In a tumultuous race that featured sportswriter Jimmy Breslin as mayoral candidate Norman Mailer's running mate, Rangel came in last in a field of six candidates.^[45]

In 1970, Rangel ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, challenging long-time incumbent Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., in the Democratic primary in New York's 18th congressional district.^[5] Powell had been an iconic, charismatic, and flamboyant figure^[2][5] who had become embroiled in an ethics controversy in 1967, lost his seat, and then regained it in 1969 due to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Powell v. McCormack.^[46] In a field with five candidates Rangel focused on criticizing Powell's frequent absences from Congress.^[2] In the June primary Rangel defeated Powell by 150 votes out of around 25,000 cast.^[5] Powell tried to take legal action to overturn the result claiming over 1,000 ballots were improper votes^[44] but was unsuccessful. Powell also failed to get on the ballot as an independent. With both Democratic and Republican backing, Rangel won the November 1970 general election–against a Liberal Party candidate and several others–with 88 percent of the vote.^[5]

Districts, terms, and committees

Initially the strongest electoral challenge to Rangel came during his first re-election bid, in 1972, when he faced a Democratic primary challenge from HARYOU-ACT director Livingston Wingate, who had the backing of the old Powell organization and the Congress of Racial Equality, a black nationalist group that Rangel publicly denounced.^[5] Rangel had the backing of the other Democratic power bases, however, and won the primary by a 3–to–1 margin^[47] and the general election easily.

Rangel won re-election every two years until his retirement, usually with over 90 percent of the vote and often with more than 95 percent.^[48][49][50] In a number of elections Rangel received the backing of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the Liberal Party of New York.^[47] Rangel's consistent appeal to his constituents has been due to the perception of him as a champion for justice not just in Harlem but elsewhere in the world.^[51] He did face a mid-career primary challenge in 1994 when two-term New York City Councilman Adam Clayton Powell IV was his opponent and held Rangel to 58 percent of the vote.^[52] Rangel then faced strong primary challenges from 2010 on during and after his ethics troubles.

New York's 15th congressional district,
which Rangel had represented until 2013

His district was numbered the Eighteenth District from 1971 to 1973; the Nineteenth District from 1973 to 1983; the Sixteenth District from 1983 to 1993; and the Fifteenth from 1993 to 2013. Early 1970s reapportionment led to the area Rangel represented being only 65 percent black,^[47] and by 1979 it was 50 percent black, 30 percent white, and 20 percent Puerto Rican.^[53] By 2000, only 3 in 10 district residents were black, while nearly half were Hispanic with many of the newcomers Dominican.^[54] Subsequently, numbered the Thirteenth, Rangel's area of representation showed a 2-to-1 preponderance of Hispanics over African Americans.^[55]

Rangel was an original member when the Congressional Black Caucus was formed in 1971.^[56] In 1974 he was elected its chairman^[2][47] and he served in that role until 1976.^[57] He remained a member of the caucus for the duration of his time in office.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Ways and Means (1975–2017; Ranking member 1996–2006; Chair 2007–2010 [leave of absence for part of 2010])
• Joint Committee on Taxation (Chair 2007, 2009; Vice Chair 2008, 2010 [until left Ways and Means chair])
• Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control (1976–1993; Chair 1983–1993)
• Select Committee on Crime (1971–1973)
• Committee on the Judiciary (1971–1974)

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Black Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus^[58]
• Congressional Arts Caucus^[59]
• House Democratic Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus

1970s: Rapid rise

Rangel (second from left, top) with fellow founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971

As a freshman representative Rangel focused on the issue of drugs and was a member of the House Select Committee on Crime. In February 1971, he criticized the Nixon administration for not taking stronger action against Turkey and France, the source and manufacture points for most of the heroin coming into the U.S.^[5] His proposal to halt foreign aid to countries not cooperating in the effort against international drug trafficking was unsuccessful, but led to a bill authorizing the president to reduce aid to those countries.^[5] Rangel created controversy in New York City by accusing some members of the New York Police Department of cooperating with drug pushers.^[5]

On April 14, 1972, Rangel and Louis Farrakhan interfered in the investigation of the murder of New York Police Department patrolman Philip Cardillo, who was fatally shot in a Harlem Nation of Islam mosque where Malcolm X used to preach. Before a suspect could be taken into custody, Farrakhan and Rangel arrived at the scene, saying a riot would likely occur if the suspect and others were not released.^[60] Some police department officials also limited the investigation, including deputy commissioner for public affairs Benjamin Ward, who had ordered all white officers away from the scene in acquiescing to the demands of Farrakhan and Rangel.^[60]

Despite an initial impression that Rangel was mostly concerned with the "ghetto problems" of drugs and welfare, Rangel focused on many other issues.^[53] He consistently backed Israel, including objecting to an anti-Israeli resolution adopted at the National Black Political Convention in 1972^[61] and urging black Americans to support the civil rights of Soviet Jews in 1975.^[62] In other respects Rangel opposed foreign interventions and military spending, voting against bombing in Cambodia, and against funding for the B-1 bomber and supercarriers.^[47]

In Congress one of Rangel's first committee assignments was on the House Judiciary Committee; during the Watergate scandal he participated in the 1974 impeachment process against Richard Nixon. Rangel received both national attention and respect for his well-informed questioning style during the hearings.^[2][38][47] Rangel was also prominent in questioning Governor Rockefeller on his role in handling the Attica Prison riot during Rockefeller's vice presidential confirmation hearing.^[2]

Rangel rose rapidly in the House, due to his political skills, hard work, knowledge of legislative matters, and genial manner.^[47] In 1974, he became the first African American ever named to the House Committee on Ways and Means,^[2][53] a position he assumed in 1975 (and left the Judiciary Committee)^[52] and by 1979 had become the chairman of its important Subcommittee on Health.^[47] In 1976, he was named to the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control.^[47] By 1979, he was a member of the influential House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.^[47] He combined his solidly liberal views–interest group ratings in 1978 indicated he was the most liberal member of the New York State congressional delegation–with a pragmatic approach towards finding political and legislative compromises.^[47][53] Rangel built alliances with others in Congress (collaborating for example with Michigan Republican Guy Vander Jagt on welfare reform measures), with people in governmental agencies, and with the Carter administration.^[53] In some cases Rangel was criticized for being too pragmatic, such as when he switched his position on natural gas deregulation; Rangel denied that he did so in exchange for the authorization of a new federal building in Harlem.^[53] Rangel said of himself, "I guess I'm practical, but you have to live with yourself and make sure you are not so practical that you sell out a part of yourself."^[53]

Besides his increasing influence in Washington, by the late 1970s Rangel was New York City's leading black political figure.^[53] After initially endorsing Percy Sutton in the 1977 mayoral election, he endorsed Ed Koch over Mario Cuomo in the Democratic primary run-off.^[63] He attempted to mediate between Mayor Koch and some minority groups who thought the Koch administration racially insensitive. As Koch related, "He has told some blacks angry with me: 'You say Ed Koch is nasty to you? I want you to know he's nasty to everybody.' I thought that was rather nice."^[53]

1980s: Influential figure

Rangel's official portrait in the 99th Congress, 1985

In 1981, Rangel became chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight giving him power in attempting to oppose the Reagan administration's cuts in social spending.^[47] By 1983 he was the third-ranking member on Ways and Means, and worked well with its powerful chairman, Dan Rostenkowski.^[47] Rangel became a protégé of Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill who made him Deputy Majority Whip later that year.^[47][64] In the 1984 United States presidential election, Rangel supported former Vice President Walter Mondale rather than the primary campaign of Jesse Jackson.

By that time Rangel was known as one of the "Gang of Four", who along with his old mentor Percy Sutton, city and state figure Basil Paterson, and future mayor David Dinkins were the most prominent politicians in Harlem.^[65][66] They broke racial barriers, attained offices once viewed as not possible for black Americans to achieve, and paved the way for many others around the nation.^[66] As power brokers they would dominate public life in Harlem for a generation.^[67]

Rangel endorsed Koch for re-election in 1981; by 1983 his relationship with the mayor had fallen apart:^[63] "I don't know anybody in politics that I dislike enough that I would recommend that he sit down with the mayor."^[68] By 1984 Rangel was the most influential black politician in New York State.^[69] His position on Ways and Means allowed him to bring federal monies to the state and city for transit projects, industrial development, Medicare needs, low-income housing, and shelters for the homeless.^[47][63] Rangel was one of the city's most recognizable politicians^[67] and there was speculation that he would run for mayor in 1985, but Rangel preferred to remain in the House, with the goal of eventually becoming Ways and Means chairman and in the best case even House Speaker.^[63] Indeed, Rangel never showed any interest in a different political job other than being the Congressman from Harlem.^[52]

In 1983, Rangel became chair of the Select Committee on Narcotics solidifying his position as a leading strategist on an issue perennially important to him.^{[47][64][70][71]} Rangel kept the committee going in the face of usual pressure to disband special committees.^[64] He battled against proposed cutbacks in the federal anti-drug budget, advocating for increased grants to states and cities for better shelters for the homeless.^[38] Rangel's amendments providing increased funding for state and local law enforcement and were included in the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986.^[38] He traveled to countries in Central and South America and other places to inspect the sources of drugs and the law enforcement efforts against them; Ebony magazine termed Rangel "a front-line general in the war against drugs."^[72] Rangel said "We need outrage!", making reference to the slow reaction by both government and religious leaders to the epidemics of crack cocaine, heroin, PCP, and other drugs that hit American streets during the 1980s.^[72] He believed that legalizing drugs would represent "moral and political suicide".^[72] He did not refrain from criticizing those most affected by drugs, saying that Hispanic and black teenagers had no sense of self-preservation, and that drug dealers were so stupid they had to eat in fast-food places because they could not read a menu.^[4] By 1988, Rangel was saying that President Ronald Reagan had not done enough in the war on drugs, but that First Lady Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign had been quite valuable.^[73] The narcotics committee itself was termed possibly the most important select committee of its time. The Washington Post said Rangel was "in a powerful position to shape policy on an issue at the top of the nation's agenda".^[71] He would remain as chair of the committee through 1993,^[70] when it was abolished along with other House select committees.^[54]

Rangel (far left) looks on as President Ronald Reagan signs the Tax Reform Act of 1986 on the White House South Lawn.

Rangel was part of the House–Senate joint conference that worked on the Tax Reform Act of 1986, a simplifying overhaul that constituted the most sweeping reform of the U.S. tax code in 50 years.^[64] In the negotiations Rangel successfully argued for dropping more lower-income people from the tax rolls;^[64] the elimination of six million households from federal income taxation was hailed as a wise policy by both liberal and conservative groups.^[74] Rangel authored the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit portion of the bill, which increased affordable housing in the U.S.^[39] He also played a key role in preserving the deductibility of state and local income taxes.^[54] He asserted that while beneficiaries of tax reform were not well organized, business interests opposed to it were. When the conference threatened to break down,he stressed it was vital to reach an agreement.^[75]

By late 1985 Rangel was in a six-person race to become the next House Majority Whip, the third-highest ranked position in the House and for the first time up for election by the members rather than appointment by the Speaker.^[76] In October 1986 the race was heating up, with Rangel as the underdog coming close to Representative Tony Coelho from California through use of his personal skills and Rangel arguing that the Democratic leadership needed better regional balance.^[64][77] However, in December 1986, Coelho defeated Rangel in the vote for whip, 167–78.^[78] Rangel attributed his loss to Coelho having funded the campaigns of many House members via his role as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,^[76][79] later saying, "I had never been so goddamn naive. I came to Washington as an experienced politician. How did I miss Coelho's contribution to members?"^[79]

In December 1984, Rangel was arrested for participating in an anti-apartheid rally in front of the South African Consulate in New York.^[80] Rangel successfully pushed to have foreign tax credits removed for corporations doing business in that country, a 1987 act that became known as the "Rangel Amendment".^[39][81][82] A number of companies left South Africa as a result, and the amendment proved to be one of the more effective anti-apartheid sanctions.^[54][82] The bill won praise from Nelson Mandela and Rangel later said was one of his actions that he was most proud of.^[81]

1990s: Support and opposition

During the 1991 Gulf War, Rangel demanded that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell investigate allegations of discrimination from black members of the New York Army National Guard regarding combat training and treatment. During the Clinton administration, Rangel battled with executive branch officials over budget items almost as much as he had during Republican administrations,^[81] and always resented when Clinton negotiated directly with Republicans while bypassing congressional Democrats.^[83] In 1993, however, Rangel was a key sponsor of increases to the Earned Income Tax Credit that passed.^[54]

Rangel's dream of becoming chairman of Ways and Means took a tumble with the Republican Revolution of 1994, which took control of the House away from the Democrats for the first time in decades. He did become the ranking Democrat of the committee in 1996.^[52] Rangel was bitterly opposed to the Republican Contract With America, considering it an assault on America's poor, and strongly criticized Democrats such as President Bill Clinton and religious leaders such as John Cardinal O'Connor for perpetuating "the silence of good people" that he likened to what happened in Nazi Germany.^[4] When Rangel made a similar allusion directed at new Ways and Means chair Bill Archer in 1995, Archer refused to speak to him for several years except at public meetings.^[83] Rangel also strongly opposed the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, accusing Clinton of supporting it for political reasons and predicting its consequences would cast a million children into poverty.^[84]

Opening up economic opportunities for minorities and the poor was a focus of Rangel's during the 1990s.^[39] His 1993 legislation created "empowerment zones", which provided tax incentives for investment and job creation in inner urban areas;^[39] it would eventually account for $5 billion in federal spending across the nation's cities.^[51][67] Rangel played a specific role in the creation of the 1995 Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, which led to a $500 million spending of public and private monies towards changing the face of Harlem, including gentrification effects.^[52] Rangel served on the corporation's board, and the effort was credited with helping the resurgence of Harlem that took place during the 1990s.^[50][67]

During the late 1990s, Rangel led an outreach effort on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that sought to gain African American votes for white candidates in key swing districts.^[85] The project may have helped gain or keep several seats during the 1998 mid-term House elections.^[85]

In late 1998, when long-time Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York announced his retirement, Rangel was one of the first to advocate that First Lady Hillary Clinton move to New York and run for the seat.^[86] She did so successfully.

On March 15, 1999, the congressman was arrested along with two other prominent African American leaders (civil rights activist Al Sharpton and former Mayor David Dinkins) for protesting the fatal shooting of Amadou Diallo, a 23-year-old immigrant to the United States from Guinea, by four white and Hispanic New York City police officers.^[87] The officers involved were later acquitted by a mixed-race jury.

In October 1998, New York State Attorney General Dennis Vacco filed a lawsuit charging the directors of the foundation behind New York's Apollo Theater, including foundation chair Rangel, with failing to collect more than $4 million owed it by a company controlled by Percy Sutton that produced the television program It's Showtime at the Apollo.^[88][89] The suit sought the removal of Rangel; after months of indecision, Rangel stepped down as chair but remained on the board.^[90] In October 1999, new Attorney General Eliot Spitzer dismissed the lawsuit and cleared Rangel and Sutton of any wrongdoing, saying that all monies properly owed had changed hands.^[89][90] Rangel expressed bitterness over the year-long episode, saying "I shouldn't have had to go through this."^[90]

2000–2007: Protest and power

Rangel (third from right) looks on as President George W. Bush signs an extension to the African Growth and Opportunity Act in 2004

During the early 2000s Rangel advocated continued funding of anti-poverty efforts, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Child care and development block grant. Rangel also had an unproductive relationship with Ways and Means chairman Bill Thomas, leading to an incident in which Thomas called the United States Capitol Police on Rangel for having his members read a bill in the library, an action for which Thomas apologized.^[52][83]

Rangel sponsored the African Growth and Opportunity Act, passed in 2000, despite the opposition of labor unions, the textile industry, and the Congressional Black Caucus.^[83] For the first time incentives were provided for U.S. trade with sub-Saharan Africa.^[39] Indeed, Rangel became known for support of free trade agreements, in contrast to many House Democrats.^[48][83]

Following the September 11 attacks, Rangel helped secure an extension to unemployment benefits. His intent was to help those in New York industries affected by the events.^[39]

Motivated by seeing few African American diplomats on his trips abroad,^[83] he founded the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship Program in 2002. The program is a collaboration between Howard University and the U.S. State Department that has significantly increased the number of minorities working in the U.S. Foreign Service.^[39][91]

In July 2004, Rangel was the first of three sitting U.S. House members to be arrested on trespassing charges, for protesting human rights abuses in Sudan in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington^[92] (Bobby Rush and Joe Hoeffel would follow). Rangel said, "When human lives are in jeopardy, there should be outrage."^[92]

Rangel was an adamant opponent of the George W. Bush administration and of the Iraq War.^[52] Feeling powerless to stop the latter in the Republican-controlled Congress, he said in 2007 that he had suffered from nightmares: "It was my lowest point ever in my 37 years in Congress ... It was a sad period where you saw lives being lost [in the war] and you couldn't do anything about it."^[51] In April 2006, Rangel and nine other representatives joined John Conyers' action against George W. Bush and others, alleging violations of the U.S. Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.^[93] Conyers v. Bush was dismissed later that year for lack of standing.^[94]

Rangel has been long been opposed to the all-volunteer army and repeatedly called for the government to bring back the draft (military conscription).^[52] In 2003, Rangel said that "A disproportionate number of the poor and members of minority groups make up the enlisted ranks of the military, while the most privileged Americans are underrepresented or absent," and that a draft would make the military more representative of the American public at large.^[95] While some observers saw the logic in what Rangel was saying, his proposals attracted little organized support from either party or from antiwar organizations.^[96] During 2006 Rangel said that no soldier would be fighting in Iraq if they had decent career possibilities^[97] and stating:

There's no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way.^[98]

Rangel introduced versions of his Universal National Service Act in the House in 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2010.^{[95][99][100]} Polls showed 70 percent of Americans opposed a reinstatement of the draft.^[98] Rangel emphasized that people could fulfill their draft obligations through non-military services, such as port and airline security.^[98] The one time the act came up for a vote in the full House, in 2004, it was defeated 2–402, with Rangel voting against his own bill in protest at the procedural handling of it.^[52][101]

In June 2006, the House Appropriations Committee passed a $3 million earmark to establish the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York.^[102] By 2007 the amount had been reduced to $2 million, but the funding for the center, whose purpose was to bring more poor and minority students into politics, was the target of criticism from Representative John B. T. Campbell III of California and other Republicans as an abuse of the earmark process and as Rangel's "Monument to Me".^[103][104] City College said it was proud to house the center^[105] and Rangel said "I cannot think of anything I am more proud of."^[103]

In August 2006, Rangel said he would resign his seat if the Democrats did not take the House that November,^[106] a statement that had real intent behind it, as at age 76 Rangel was feeling "the claustrophobia" of time.^[52]

Rangel speaks to international educators visiting the U.S. Capitol in 2007 under the U.S. Department of State's Global Connections and Exchange Program

The Democrats did take control and in January 2007, Rangel's long wait to head the Ways and Means Committee was over.^[51] Not only was he the first African American to do so, but he was also the first New Yorker to chair the committee since Fernando Wood in the 1870s.^[54] As holder of one of the most powerful posts in Congress,^[107] he said the chairmanship "couldn't have come any later for me".^[52] Age was not otherwise a factor with Rangel, who worked a scheduled 16 hours a day and looked a good deal younger than he was.^[52] Ebony magazine termed Rangel's ascent to the chairmanship "a watershed moment for African-Americans, who historically have been shut out when it comes to deciding how to divvy up the trillions of dollars in the federal government's budget".^[51] Rangel was able to establish an effective working relationship with ranking member Jim McCrery.^[106]

In April 2007, Rangel published his autobiography, ... And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since: From the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress, whose title reflected his experience in Korea. The New York Times gave it a favorable reviewing, saying it was "mercifully short on laundry lists [that some other political memoirs have], but long on sass and spirit".^[107]

Rangel was an early and strong supporter of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign for the Democratic nomination.^[108] His actions during 2007 included taking a shot at the marital histories of former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, then the Republican front-runner, and his wife Judith Giuliani, resulted in Rangel issuing a no-excuses apology.^[109][110] As events in 2008 unwound, the Democratic primaries and caucuses turned into a historic battle between Clinton and Senator Barack Obama. Although Obama had a real chance of becoming the first African American president, a development that Rangel viewed with pride, and although some racially tinged comments entered the contest and Clinton's support among African Americans plunged, Rangel stayed loyal to her, saying "There's just no question in my mind that Hillary would be in a better position than a freshman senator. This ain't no time for a beginner."^[111] (Rangel's wife Alma, on the other hand, publicly supported Obama.^[112]) Rangel did endorse Obama once he finally clinched the nomination in early June 2008.^[113]

2008–2010: Ethics issues and censure

Rangel speaking in 2008

Defense of tax shelter

Rangel receives book written by US consul general Gregory Slayton, in Bermuda in 2009

In November 2008, following reports by The New York Times, Republican Congressmen asked the House Ethics Committee to look into Rangel's defense of a tax shelter approved by his Ways and Means Committee. One of the four companies that benefited from the loophole was Nabors Industries, which opened headquarters in Bermuda as a foreign corporation.^[126] Under the loophole Nabors received tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks. In 2004, Rangel had led opposition to the tax breaks.^[126] Nabors donated $1 million in 2006, and $100,000 later, to the City College of New York school named after Rangel.

Its CEO said the donations were unrelated to Rangel's February 2007 promise to oppose closing the loophole.^[126] He denied there was any quid pro quo, and called the article about it "malarkey".^[127] Rangel said The New York Times had ignored facts and explanations, and denied the charges.^{[126][128][129]} The House Ethics Committee voted in December 2008, to expand its investigation of Rangel to the matter.^[130] Eventually the Ethics Committee would not make a specific charge over this matter but did include it in the supporting documentation for the overall charge that Rangel had solicited Rangel Center donations from those with business before his committee.^[131]

2011–2017: Final years in Congress

Rangel with fellow U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley in 2011

Republicans took over control of the House as the 112th Congress began in January 2011, meaning Rangel would have lost his Ways and Means chair even without his ethics issues. He was not considered for the ranking member slot either, which after a contested election among the Democratic caucus had gone to former acting chair Sander Levin.^[171] His difficulties were not completely over; the National Legal and Policy Center filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that he had improperly paid legal bills from a political action committee.^[172] To cover both ongoing and past legal expenses he established a legal defense fund (whose creation was approved by the House Ethics Committee).^[172]

He was the first elected politician to use the now-defunct Visible Vote mobile app to interact directly with his constituents.^[173]

During 2011 Rangel became the first member of Congress to declare support for the Occupy Wall Street movement and made several visits to their nearby demonstration site in Zuccotti Park.^[174] However the protesters themselves picketed Rangel's office, objecting to his free trade stance (in particular to agreements he supported with Panama and with South Korea that they said resulted in jobs being exported).^[174]

In early 2012, Rangel was beset by a back injury and a serious viral infection; he was away from Congress for three months.^[175] Moreover, his district had been renumbered as the 13th District following the 2010 census, and its demographics had been changed significantly. He found himself in a district that stretched from Harlem to the Bronx and was now majority-Hispanic; it was 55 percent Hispanic and 27 percent African American.^[55] As a result, Rangel faced a serious primary challenge from State Senator Adriano Espaillat.^[175] Rangel struggled with fundraising, and he began receiving contributions from fellow members of Congress whom he had helped over the years.^[176] In the June 26 primary – the real contest in what was still an overwhelmingly Democratic district – Rangel defeated Espaillat by less than a thousand votes, with a result that took two weeks to fully resolve.^[177] He won the subsequent November general election easily.^[178]

In April 2013, Rangel filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against several members and staff of the House Ethics Committee, saying that they had engaged in "numerous, flagrant, knowing and intentional violations" in their investigation against him.^[179] The suit sought to overturn the measure of censure that had been taken against him.^[180] In December 2013, Judge John D. Bates dismissed the suit, saying that there were "insurmountable separation-of-powers barriers" against the courts becoming involved in House of Representatives internal actions.^[181] Rangel appealed the dismissal, but the judge's action was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in May 2015, saying the matter fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.^[182] In October 2015, the United States Supreme Court declined to consider the case ending Rangel's legal bid.^[183]

Rangel ran again in 2014, facing Espaillat once more in the Democratic primary as well as Reverend Michael Walrond from the First Corinthian Baptist Church.^[184] Rangel said that if he was re-elected, it would be his final term in the House.^[184] He lost some of his traditional endorsements, but retained others and campaigned hard even while turning 84 years of age.^[185] In the June 24 primary the voting was again close but Rangel prevailed over Espaillat.^[186] Rangel faced no Republican opposition in the November general election^[186] and won easily against a minor party candidate, saying as he voted on November 4, "Today was a historic day and a very emotional day [as] I cast my final vote as a candidate on the ballot..."^[187]

After being strongly opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu's March 3, 2015, speech to Congress (in which, at the invitation of House Republicans, the Israeli Prime Minister spoke in opposition to the Obama administration's efforts to secure a comprehensive agreement on Iran's nuclear program) and saying he would be one of those Democrats not attending, Rangel changed his mind and did attend, attributing his reversal to the advice of friends and constituents and saying, "Enough damage has already been done... I don't want my absence to add to what is already a shattered type of relationship."^[188]

Due to a large personal loan he made and his continuing struggles with fundraising,^[189] Rangel's 2014 re-election campaign debt stood at $140,000 as of June 2015. He engaged in various fundraising efforts during 2015 in an effort to reduce this debt, which brought about some criticism from The Center for Public Integrity that these efforts were not fully transparent.^[189] He had planned to raise money towards paying off that debt at his 85th birthday celebration to be held at the Plaza Hotel that month. Guests included Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, and Hillary Clinton, however Clinton took over Rangel's party as a "Hillary for America" event to raise money for her 2016 presidential campaign.^[190]

Rangel at his going-away party hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus in December 2016

As he had vowed two years earlier,^[184] Rangel did not run for re-election in the 2016 election.^[191] In the June 2016 Democratic primary election to effectively pick his successor, Rangel supported State Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright expressing the hope that an African American would continue to represent the district.^[192] However Espaillat won a close victory over Wright in a large field of candidates.^[191][192] Underlining the demographic changes that had been taking place, after winning the general election in November Espaillat became the first non-African American to represent Harlem in the House since a series of Harlem-focused congressional districts were formed beginning in the 1940s.^[192] Rangel left office at the expiration of his term on January 3, 2017.^[191]