Posted Thursday July 29, 2010 1 month, 1 week ago
Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., reacts as he gets in the elevator to leave his office for a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday, July 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON D.C. (WTAQ) - New York Congressman Charles Rangel faces 13 charges in a House ethics investigation.
The charges are related to discrepancies over taxes, fundraising and financial disclosure. Democrat Rangel also faces allegations of misusing House parking and some rent-controlled apartments.
Members of a House ethics panel held a public meeting to outline the formal charges against Rangel. Unless Rangel agrees to a plea deal, a special trial will be held in the fall.
Rangel chose not to make a statement to the panel. Rangel's congressional career has spanned four decades. He recently stepped down as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
The 80-year-old Rangel, a decorated Korean War veteran, has denied wrongdoing and is running for re-election. If a House ethics trial is held in the fall, it'll be the first such trial since 2002.
At the end of that trial, Ohio Democrat James Traficant was expelled from Congress after being convicted in a criminal court for accepting bribes and filing false tax returns.
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