Washington Post:
Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) pleaded with a House panel Monday to delay his long-awaited public trial on corruption charges, saying he needed time to find a new lawyer, but his request was rejected and the session went ahead without him.
The panel later deemed the charges against Rangel to be "uncontested" and decided to deliberate on them, dispensing with the trial phase of the case.
In the hearing, conducted by an eight-member panel of Rangel's congressional peers, Rangel faced allegations that he broke congressional rules in his personal finances and his fundraising efforts for a New York college. He and his previous legal team parted ways last month.
"I object to the proceeding," Rangel told the House panel. "With all due respect, since I don't have counsel to advise me, I'm going to have to excuse myself from these proceedings."
He said he cannot afford a lawyer at present because his campaign account has been depleted.
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I think they handled it the right way. You can't come in on the day of a trial and say you do not have a lawyer. He had adequate time to find one or find the funds to pay for one. Indeed the facts are not really in dispute.
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