WASHINGTON (AP) — A House investigative committee has charged New York Rep. Charles Rangel, the former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, with multiple ethics violations.
The charges were announced Thursday. The panel’s actions sends the case to a trial on the allegations. A separate ethics panel will decide whether the alleged violations can be proved by clear and convincing evidence.
The Democrat led the tax-writing committee until he stepped aside last March after the ethics committee criticized his conduct in a separate case.
Sources said the committee and Rangel’s attorney attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate a settlement to end the case. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions. A settlement would have required Rangel to agree that he violated ethics rules.
