The Daily Herald

WASHINGTON--U.S. Representative Charles Rangel reached a tentative plea agreement on ethics charges on Thursday, but Republicans may reject it and push for a trial that could hurt his fellow Democrats in the November elections.
A long list of ethics charges were read aloud at a congressional hearing on Thursday, at about the same time that attorneys for Rangel and a House of Representatives ethics committee reached a "tentative agreement" on those charges, a congressional source said.
But Republicans may block the proposed deal and demand a trial in September of Rangel, 80, one of the most senior member of Congress and its former chief tax writer, aides said. The 10-member House Ethics Committee--five Democrats and five Republicans--traditionally accepts staff recommendations on plea agreements. That could change, however, amid what's been increasing election-year partisanship.
Republican Representative Michael McCaul sounded as if he was not interested in any deals. "Mr. Rangel was given opportunities to negotiate a settlement during the investigation phase. We are now in the trial phase," McCaul said at the opening of the hearing by a House Ethics subcommittee.
"The American people deserve to hear the truth in this case and the charges against him," said McCaul, a member of the panel. "And that is precisely why we are having this meeting here today."
Democrats have urged Rangel to cut a deal to avoid a trial that they fear could become a political circus and undermine their bid to retain control of the House in the November elections.
The subcommittee outlined 13 counts of violating House ethic rules against Rangel. They involve: solicitation of donations to a college center named in his honor; errors of omission on financial disclosure statements; use of a rent-stabilized apartment for his campaign committee and failure to report income from renting out his villa in the Dominican Republic.
"Public office is public trust," said subcommittee chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat. "Our task is to determine whether Representative Rangel's conduct met that standard."
Rangel had sought a deal before the hearing began, but his new goal is to get one before his September trial, an aide said. The New York lawmaker is running for re-election to a 21st two-year term. He won in 2008 with nearly 90 percent of the vote.