Charles Rangel says he tried to make deal to avoid ethics charges

Charles Rangel told Harlem leaders Saturday he signed a plea deal on ethics charges but that the GOP pushed for a trial.
"He said he had signed an agreement. He was ready to go but I guess politics came into play," said Assemblyman Keith Wright(D-Manhattan), one of about 50 leaders gathered for a Harlem district meeting Saturday.
Another attendee said Rangel implied, "It was Republicans that didn't want an agreement" and that he signed a deal before the ethics committee released its report last month.
Rangel, who faces 13 ethics violations, said earlier this week that he won't settle to make others in Congress "comfortable."
A spokesman for Rangel wouldn't confirm if a proposed deal was signed, citing legal restrictions, though a deal wouldn't be binding unless both sides signed the agreement.
The House Ethics Committee didn't immediately return a request for comment
Rangel has suggested to friends that he's still willing to reach a deal and admit to some charges to avoid a messy public trial.
But Wright said, "He's not going to sign something that is unfair. He said he's not going to sign anything that he didn't do, which we all agree."
Rangel's revelation to local leaders is his latest defense against claims that he is being defiant rather than copping a deal to avoid a public trial during midterm elections.
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