Rep. Charles Rangel starts legal defense fund

Rep. Charles B. Rangel, whose 40 years in the House have come under a cloud because of an ethics scandal, announced Tuesday he has established a new defense fund to help pay off past legal expenses and to deal with pending and new complaints.

Rangel (D-N.Y.) was censured by the House earlier this month for financial and fundraising misconduct and had to stand on the chamber’s floor to listen to Speaker Nancy Pelosi read the censure resolution, which passed 333-79.

The new fund, called the Charles B. Rangel Legal Expense Trust, was approved by the House ethics committee, Rangel announced in a prepared statement.

“I have received authorization from the Committee on Standards and Official Conduct to begin raising funds for the Charles B. Rangel Legal Expense Trust, which I have sought to create so I can retain counsel for ongoing activities related to the recently concluded ethics investigations and other ongoing matters,” Rangel stated.

Supporters will be able to contribute up to $5,000 a year to the fund. Former New York state Comptroller. H. Carl McCall will serve as the fund’s trustee.

Rangel still faces complaints filed with the Federal Election Commission by the National Legal and Policy Center, a group that has regularly complained about Rangel, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

“I continue to draw satisfaction from the recently concluded ethics committee investigations that established that, while I committed serious violations of the rules of the House, none of those violations included corruption, intent, self-dealing, self-enrichment or quid pro quos involving any official action,” Rangel said.

“I am confident any continuing or subsequent investigations will find a similar lack of any intent to violate any rules or any actions designed in any way to personally benefit me or my family,” he said.

Michael.muskal@latimes.com

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