WASHINGTON - July 29, 2010 - Embattled New York Rep. Charles Rangel says he hasn't had a bad day in 60 years. But "today I have to reassess that statement," he told reporters on Capitol Hill.
The 40-year House veteran and former Ways and Means Committee chairman, accused of a slew of ethics violations, faces a panel of his peers this afternoon when the details of the charges will be revealed.
Rangel and his lawyers have been negotiating with the Ethics Committee to avoid a public trial but have yet to reach a deal. Many observers say Rangel, 80, would likely have to admit at least some culpability.
The eight lawmakers who will hold public hearings on the charges are set to convene their first meeting at 1 p.m. today.
Rangel, whose 15th District includes Harlem, resigned his powerful committee chairmanship in March after the Ethics Committee found the congressman violated House rules on two corporate-funded trips to the Caribbean.
The outstanding alleged violations include: failing to reveal more than half a million dollars in assets on financial disclosure forms; improperly obtaining four rent-controlled apartments in New York City; and failing to disclose financial arrangements for a villa at the Punta Cana Yacht Club in the Dominican Republic.
He is also accused of using unethical fundraising tactics for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York and improperly storing a vehicle in the House parking lot.
At the hearing later today, the ethics committee will specify which of these allegations will result in formal charges. Rangel's trial would not occur until September.
If the trial commences as planned, it will mark a watershed moment for a man once considered one of the most powerful on Capitol Hill. It will also be the first time a congressman has been put on public trial for ethics charges since former Rep. James Trafficant in 2002.
