The Times welcomes letters from people we write about alerting us to errors of fact or challenging matters of interpretation. We publish some of these as Letters to the Editor, edited for space and factual accuracy. Representative Charles B. Rangel has challenged a Times article of Nov. 25, 2008 about his role in preserving a tax loophole for a corporation at the same time its chief executive officer was pledging $1 million to the congressman’s favored charity (“The Congressman, the Donor and the Tax Break”). The article was based on weeks of reporting, including an extensive review of Congressional records, public statements and news media accounts of the legislation as it was written, as well as interviews with dozens of people involved in the creation of the law — from members of Congress and Congressional staff members to lobbyists, corporate executives and other interested parties. In an effort to provide a fair and complete depiction of Mr. Rangel’s account of events, he was repeatedly asked for an interview, and when he declined those requests, his lawyers were given the opportunity to convey his recollections — which they did in face-to-face discussions, more than two dozen telephone conversations and via e-mail, over the course of several weeks. Those recollections were reflected in the article itself. Mr. Rangel’s letter, written after the article was published, appears here unedited. Accordingly, it is accompanied by a response from The Times.

The letters are too lengthy to run here, so just click on the above link to read the Rangel letter and Times rebutal.