WASHINGTON — Rep. Charlie Rangel has set up a defense fund to help pay the mountain of legal bills from his unsuccessful effort to beat ethics charges.
The Harlem Democrat — who was punished with a humiliating House censure — is asking supporters to pitch in up to $5,000 a year to the Charles B. Rangel Legal Expense Trust.
He also could use the defense fund to bankroll the DC lawyer he’s hired, Bill Oldaker, to fend off his latest legal problem.
The Federal Elections Commission is investigating a complaint that Rangel improperly used his National Leadership PAC to pay his attorneys in the ethics case. The FEC is acting on a complaint by the National Legal and Policy Center filed after The Post first reported last month that Rangel paid almost $400,000 from his PAC.
The 80-year-old lawmaker insists he’s done nothing wrong.
Members of Congress are allowed to use money in their individual campaign funds only for legal fees, or they can set up legal defense funds for such costs.