Rep. Kilroy is latest vulnerable Dem to call for Rangel to resign

Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio) is the fifth House Democrat to say Rangel should resign from Congress. 

Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio) became the fifth House Democrat Friday to officially call on embattled Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) to resign his seat in Congress. 

A spokesman for the congresswoman confirmed to The Hill that Kilroy believes Rangel should step down. 

Kilroy, who is facing a tough Republican challenge from Steve Stivers this fall, joins Reps. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio), Walt Minnick (D-Idaho), Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) and Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) in calling for Rangel to resign his seat. 

A House ethics committee unveiled 13 charges against Rangel on Thursday.

The 80-year-old lawmaker is accused of improperly using his office to solicit donations for a school of public policy in his name at the City College of New York; of using a rent-stabilized apartment in Harlem for his campaign office; of failing to report more than $600,000 on his financial disclosure report; and of failing to pay taxes on rental income from a villa he owns in the Dominican Republic.

As House Democrats head into the August recess, calls for Rangel's resignation are expected to accelerate as vulnerable lawmakers look to distance themselves from Rangel as the midterm nears.

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