Second House Dem calls for Rep. Charles Rangel to resign

Rep. Walt Minnick (Idaho) is the second House Democrat to call for Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) to resign after the House ethics committee charged the 80-year-old congressman with multiple violations last week.

Minnick, who represents one of the country’s most conservative congressional districts and is seen as vulnerable in 2010, follows Rep. Betty Sutton (Ohio), who on Friday became the first Democratic member to call on Rangel to step down.

In an interview with IdahoReporter.com, Minnick said “now that the investigation is complete and provided the facts are as alleged, I think it’s clear that he should resign from Congress.”

Rangel has said he has no intention of resigning, but the Democratic leadership is working to avoid what would be a public ethics trial sometime in September.

The full charges against Rangel are set to be revealed Thursday, at a trial convened by a subpanel of the ethics committee. Speaking to reporters again Monday, Rangel said he doesn’t expect the trial to be pleasant but that it would offer “a sense of relief.”

Rangel has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.