Charles Rangel

Charles B. Rangel represents New York’s 15^th Congressional district and is a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. He was first elected to Congress in 1970, with an upset victory over the iconic Adam Clayton Powell Jr. He became the first African-American chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over all taxation. A Korean War veteran, Rangel was awarded a purple heart and a bronze Star for Valor after leading his men from behind enemy lines while wounded. In 2010, Rangel was found guilty by the House Ethics Committee for 11 counts of ethics violations, was censured and forced to resign his post on the Ways and Means Committee.