A House ethics committee unveiled 13 charges against Rep. Charlie Rangel in a preliminary public hearing today. Rangel was not at the hearing, nor was he required to be. There had been many reports that Rangel “cut a deal” with the ethics committee, but when asked about it directly, he said, “I have no idea.” It appears that those rumors were incorrect. Rep. Jo Bonner (R-AL) said that Rangel had many chances to deal with the committee in the investigative phase, but that the charges had reached the trial phase.

The charges against Rangel included not reporting rental income on a Dominican Villa, using several rent-stabilized apartments in Manhattan and using official stationary to raise money for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at CUNY.

Politico reports that Republicans are planning to seize on Rangel’s charges as evidence of a “culture of corruption” in Washington. Several members already gave contributions from Rangel’s PAC to charity. Democratic Reps. Betty Sutton (D-OH), and Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), running for Senate, gave away their contributions to charity.

Rangel has represented his Harlem district since 1970, when he won a special election against Adam Clayton Powell Jr. who also had ethics charges. When the Democrats took over the House in 2007, he became chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, the tax-writing and social benefits committee of the House of Representatives. Two previous Democratic chairs of the committee, Wilbur Mills and Dan Rostenkowski, had to step down as well after scandals of their own.

A hearing will likely take place in September on the charges.

Below is the statement of alleged violations. (h/t Azi Paybarah)

Rangel SAV

(Photo: wdcpix.com/Lauren Victoria Burke)