Representative Charles Rangel has announced that he is stepping down temporarily as House Ways and Means Committee chairman.

The 20-term Harlem congressman held a press conference on Capitol Hill to make the announcement at 9 AM today. He did not answer any questions. "I hope you don't mind," Rangel said. "I don't take questions."

But when asked by a reporter if the press was to blame for his decision, Rangel said, "That's subjective."

The news comes in the wake of an ethics committee report that admonished the congressman for taking two corporate paid trips to the Caribbean. An investigation by the House Ethics Committee is ongoing.

Speaking to reporters today, he said, "I have this morning sent a letter to [House] Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi asking her to grant me a leave of absence until such time that the ethics committee completes its work.'

The Associated Press reports that Rangel said that "from the very, very beginning" he had told Speaker Pelosi he would step down from the post "to avoid my colleagues having to defend me" during campaign season. Pelosi will appoint the next committee chair.

For more Rangel coverage on WQXR, click here and here.