Ethics panel moves ahead in Rangel hearing

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A U.S. House ethics panel said Monday it will consider a quick verdict in the hearing of Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., charged with 13 ethical violations.

Committee on Standards of Official Conduct Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., consented to the committee counsel's request to move the adjudicatory subcommittee into the deliberation phase, The Hill reported

The decision to proceed came after the committee's attorney, Blake Chisam, said no material facts were in dispute and Rangel did not contest them.

Lofgren said the subcommittee hearing Rangel's case would meet in a closed-door session to determine whether there is "clear and convincing evidence" the veteran lawmaker committed each charge.

The subcommittee is charged with weighing the case against Rangel on 13 counts, including allegations he pressured lobbyists and corporations for multimillion-dollar contributions to the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at The City College of New York. He also is accused of failing to disclose $600,000 of income and assets on his annual financial disclosure forms, illegally maintaining multiple rent-controlled apartments in a luxury Harlem apartment building and failing to pay income taxes on a vacation villa in the Dominican Republic.

Chisam said he didn't see any evidence of corruption but added, "It's hard to answer the question of personal financial benefit ... . I think the short answer is no."

The proceeding moved ahead after rejecting a request by Rangel for a delay because he lacked counsel. Rangel said he could not afford to hire attorneys right away after incurring nearly $2 million in legal fees in the past two years.

"I object to the proceeding," Rangel said before leaving the hearing. "With all due respect, since I don't have counsel to advise me, I'm going to have to excuse myself from these proceedings."

Lofgren, D-Calif., said it was Rangel's "right not to participate in this matter ... ."

Rangel said he received a letter from the committee last week telling him he could open a legal defense fund, meaning he could hire an attorney, The Hill reported.

House rules allow members of Congress to carry a debt on their legal defense funds, so Rangel wouldn't have to raise the money before hiring a lawyer.