Democrats Wrestle With Rangel

House Democrats were struggling Monday to come up with a plan to deal with Rep. Charlie Rangel’s ethical troubles and do it quickly.

Publicly, Democratic leaders were trying to put a positive spin on the New York Democrat’s upcoming trial before his peers on charges that he may have violated House ethics rules. Privately, however, Democrats were scrambling to contain the damage and hoping Rangel cuts a deal in the next few days to avoid a public spectacle that could unfold weeks before the November elections.

The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, also known as the ethics panel, announced late last week that one of its investigative subcommittees had found substantial reason to believe that Rangel broke House rules. And a special adjudicatory panel is set to organize Thursday and is expected in September to review the matter in a proceeding similar to a trial.

It’s possible that panel may not have to convene, however, if the ethics committee is able to reach an agreement with Rangel beforehand on a punishment. A source close to the negotiations said Monday that the talks are ongoing.

“We’re still open to resolving this before Thursday,” the source said. The individual declined to detail whether that agreement might include a formal apology or other sanctions, which under House rules may range from a formal letter of reprimand to expulsion.

One senior Democratic aide laid out the problem for Democrats: They clearly want Rangel to reach some kind of accommodation with the ethics committee but worry he will dig in if they push him too hard. The broader fear is that white, moderate Democrats in swing districts will start demanding he resign, prompting a racially tinged backlash from the Congressional Black Caucus.

“This potentially creates a civil war inside the party,” the aide said.

Read more: (Steven T. Dennis, “Democrats Wrestle With Rangel,” Roll Call, 07/27/2010)