Following those presentations, the adjudicatory panel must determine Rangel’s guilt or innocence on each count. The panel then reports its determination to the full ethics committee.
If the panel finds Rangel responsible for any of the alleged violations, the full ethics committee must convene a hearing to determine whether to sanction Rangel.
While the committee may opt to issue a “letter of reproval,” the panel would need to seek the approval of the House if it recommends a harsher punishment, including a reprimand, censure or expulsion from the chamber.
The Monday hearing could nonetheless be derailed if Rangel were to strike an agreement with the adjudicatory panel over the weekend. That possibility appeared unlikely at press time, however, since it would require agreement with the subcommittee’s Republican Members, several of whom indicated at a July organizational meeting that the time for negotiations had concluded with the adjudicatory panel’s creation.
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
