RANGEL FINALLY PICKLED

Democrat Rep. Charlie Rangel has found himself in a bit of a pickle. After years of allegedly thumbing his nose at pesky things like rules, his supposed misdeeds may be coming back to bite him on the proverbial hind quarter.

A House ethics committee subpanel today found Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel guilty of 11 of the 13 charges of ethics violations against him.

The panel, composed of four Democrats and four Republicans, emerged after private deliberation to announce their findings.

"This has been a difficult assignment," committee chair Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said. "We have tried to act with fairness, led only by the facts and the law, and I believe we have accomplished that mission."

The subpanel will now submit its findings to the full ethics committee, which will schedule a public hearing to determine the appropriate sanctions to take against the longtime New York representative. Whatever action they decide on during the sanctions hearing will then go to the full House of Representatives. The committee could go so far as to recommend expelling Rangel, but that would be unlikely. Other possible sanctions include a House vote deploring Rangel's conduct, a fine or a denial of privileges.

THEY MAY GO SO FAR AS A FEW MEAN LOOKS AS WELL.

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