The Globe and Mail

House investigators accused veteran New York congressman Charles Rangel of 13 violations of congressional ethics standards on Thursday, throwing a cloud over his four-decade political career and raising worries for fellow Democrats about the fall midterm elections.

The allegations – which include failure to report rental income from vacation property in the Dominican Republic and to report more than $600,000 in assets on his congressional financial disclosure statements – came as lawyers for Mr. Rangel and the House ethics committee worked on a plea deal.

One was struck, people familiar with the talks said, but Republicans indicated it was too late.

The deal between the lawyers will have little meaning if the committee members don’t approve it, and Republicans said at the proceeding they were insisting on going forward with a trial. The panel is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.

“Mr. Rangel was given multiple opportunities to settle this matter. Instead, he chose to move forward to the public-trial phase,” said Representative Jo Bonner of Alabama, the senior Republican on the ethics panel.

Chairman Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, has made clear that she wants the committee to be unanimous – leaving little chance for agreement without Mr. Rangel capitulating on virtually all counts.

Many Democrats had urged Mr. Rangel to settle the case to avoid the prospect of televised hearings right before November congressional elections that will determine which party controls Congress next year.

However, as Friday’s public airing of the charges drew nearer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seem resigned to the case proceeding.

“The chips will have to fall where they may politically,” she told reporters. Pursuing ethics cases against House members is “a serious responsibility that we have,” she said.

The alleged violations of House standards of conduct also include using congressional letterhead to solicit donations for a centre for public service to bear Mr. Rangel’s name on the New York campus of the City College of New York.

Mr. Rangel was also accused of accepting a rent-stabilized property in Manhattan for his campaign office and initially not paying federal taxes on the Dominican Republic property.

The ethics panel said Mr. Rangel failed to report rental income on his original tax returns for 1998 through 2006 from the Dominican Republic villa. It also said he violated federal laws in addition to House ethics rules, including the 1989 Ethics Reform Act, Postal Service laws and government service codes.

The ethics charges, agreed upon after a two-year probe, were read in a public session of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, as the ethics committee is formally known.

Mr. Rangel, 80, did not attend.

The session set the stage for a committee trial, expected to be held in September. Democrats had hoped to avoid such a public confrontation as November elections approach.

The ethics panel that will judge Mr. Rangel’s conduct held its first meeting Thursday.

It includes eight members, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. Thus, for any deal to be accepted it must be approved by at least one Republican.

A congressional trial could be avoided only if Mr. Rangel admits to substantial violations, or resigns.

Punishment could range from a report criticizing his conduct to a reprimand or censure by the House, or a vote to expel him – which is highly unlikely. Any agreement would have to be approved by Mr. Rangel and ethics committee members.

“Sixty years ago I survived a Chinese attack in North Korea and as a result I haven’t had a bad day since,” Mr. Rangel told reporters earlier Thursday. “But today I have to reassess that statement.”