Ethics Committee Finds Rangel Likely Broke Rules

The House ethics committee announced Thursday that an investigative subcommittee has found substantial reason to believe that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) violated House rules or even broken the law, following a nearly two-year investigation into allegations involving his personal finances, fundraising efforts and other issues.

The committee is convening a panel to determine whether there was an actual rules violation.

According to a statement issued by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, also known as the ethics committee, its investigative subcommittee authored a “statement of alleged violation” in the case, which it sent to the full panel Thursday.

The statement did not detail the alleged violations, or whether they include abuse of House rules or laws.

According to the House Ethics Manual, an investigative subcommittee may adopt a statement of alleged violation at the end of a probe “if it determines that there is substantial reason to believe that a violation … has occurred.”

The matter now moves to an adjudicatory subcommittee to determine whether the violations “have been proved by clear and convincing evidence and to make findings of fact,” the ethics committee said Thursday.

Read more: (Jennifer Yachnin, “Ethics Committee Finds Rangel Likely Broke Rules,” Roll Call, 07/22/2010)