The House leadership is worried that former House Ways and Means chairman Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., might actually be tried for corruption, rather than quiety agreeing to a settlement:

Increasingly impatient House Democratic leaders are prodding Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) to make a deal with the ethics committee before charges against him are unveiled Thursday, top Democratic officials told POLITICO.

Fellow Democrats told POLITICO that they believe he’s dragging his feet in a futile effort at total vindication. Democrats worry that his stubbornness could add to their losses in November by helping Republicans, who have vowed to build a “culture of corruption” narrative using ads, mailings and talking points.

If you want to know what's wrong with this country, look no further. Is the overriding interest here that justice be done in response to Rangel's flagrant corruption, or is it to try and sweep Rangel's charges under the rug to minimize harm to the ruling party?

As it happens, the Rangel mess and Congress' inability to police itself is the subject of my column today:

On Thursday, the unthinkable happened. The famously gutless House of Representatives Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, aka House ethics committee, actually announced it would try Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., on corruption charges. I'm sad to say that this is progress.

Suppose a congressman were to toss a dead body from the press gallery onto the floor of the House while throwing around lobbyist cash like confetti and laughing like a hyena on C-SPAN. The committee would probably get around to admonishing this congressman at about the time hell became a skating rink for disadvantaged youth. I'm sure Congress' total inability to police itself is in no way related to the fact that congressional approval is at 11 percent, the lowest ever recorded.

More at the link.