A House ethics subcommittee Thursday charged New York Rep

The panel did not detail the charges against Rangel, who was forced to step down as chairman of the influential House Ways and Means Committee this year over his long-running ethics troubles.

The charges, however, will be debated at a rare public hearing of the ethics panel on July 29. Usually, its proceedings are conducted behind closed doors.

"I've waited a long time, and at long last, the sun will be piercing the cloud that I have been carrying," Rangel told USA TODAY. "As it relates to my election, I'm glad and hope this will be aired before the September primary and certainly before the November election."

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the decision to charge Rangel indicates the "process is working as it should."

Republicans, who are trying to capture control of the House in November, seized on the announcement to slam Democrats. House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio called it "a sad reminder" of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "most glaring broken promise: to 'drain the swamp' in Washington."

Even so, Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic consultant in New York, said Rangel remains a formidable force in the Sept. 14 primary. Rangel faces Adam Clayton Powell, the son and namesake of the legendary lawmaker whom Rangel defeated 40 years ago to launch his career in the House of Representatives.
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