Rangel Hoping To Avoid Trial

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) said on Tuesday that he is hopeful for a settlement with House ethics investigators, but added that he isn’t sure about the status of such talks.

Rangel is facing a number of allegations that he violated House ethics rules; including claims that he improperly used a rent-stabilized apartment as a campaign office, used official stationery to solicit support for a City College center named in his honor and failed to properly report ownership of a vacation villa in the Dominican Republic.

The negotiations surrounding the case between senior congressional Democrats and Rep. Rangel have put some Democrats in an uncomfortable situation. Many House Democrats that have been close with Rangel for years are now worried about the subsequent political fallout for the Democratic Party in the November elections if an ethics trial occurs in September…

- Alexa Gitler