Panel Alleges Ethics Abuses by Rep. Rose

WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday formally alleged that Rep. Charlie Rose (D-N. C.) converted more than $63,000 in campaign money to his personal use and failed to fully report on annual financial disclosure forms debts that he owed to his campaign.

The panel, known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, said that it had found “reason to believe” that Rose violated House rules on four separate counts.

The committee’s action resulted from a preliminary inquiry, which began in June, into allegations first raised by the North Carolina Republican Party in the 1986 election campaign.

At that time, Rose issued a statement implying that the money he took from campaign coffers had constituted repayment of loans he had earlier made to the campaign.

Under the committee’s procedures, Rose will now have 21 days to file a formal response to the allegations. The panel then must judge whether there is “clear and convincing evidence” that the violations occurred, and it can recommend disciplinary proceedings if it finds grounds to do so.

The allegations state that Rose, on eight occasions between 1978 and 1985, borrowed amounts ranging from $895 to $18,000 from his campaign, violating a ban on using campaign funds for personal purposes. The amounts totaled $63,995.