Lawmaker Charged With False Claims

Rep. Wes Cooley, a GOP freshman who dropped his reelection bid earlier this year after being accused of lying about his background, was indicted on charges he falsely claimed in official state voter guides that he had served in Korea. The 64-year-old Oregon congressman could get up to 10 years in prison and $200,000 in fines if convicted of twice making false statements. Separately, a federal grand jury is investigating whether Cooley lied about when he got married so his wife could fraudulently continue to collect benefits as a Marine widow. The gate to Cooley’s ranch was padlocked and the outspoken conservative didn’t return calls.