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The GOP has been very bullish on their chances of re-taking the House of Representatives this November. Democrat Charles Rangel may have just given them a boost.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, a House ethics panel has charged Rangel with thirteen counts of breaking House rules. Disciplinary hearings have begun and the possibility of a a public trial is looming.

Obviously a ranking member being raked over the coals for ethics violations is not something the Democrats are looking forward to in a year predicted to drastically change their electoral landscape. Talks of a plea deal to prevent such a spectacle have been floated and retracted several times over the week.

So why the hold up on a quick and tidy resolution to take the matter off the front page? Some believe the problem may be Rangel himself. As left-wing blogger David Kurtz opined, “You get the strong sense that the leadership, the ethics committee and his own lawyers all know what’s best for Charlie –Charlie himself is only one who doesn’t know and probably has been cocooned for so long that he can’t know what the smart move is.”

It remains to be seen how this saga will play out, but already nervous Democrats are rightly anxious. Even if Rangel were to fall on his own sword, Republicans will likely continue to make hay over the issue in the coming months.

Posted by DarrenStaley in News, Politics

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