GOP Rep. Jo Bonner, center, listens Thursday to an ethics panel hearing on Rep. Charles Rangel in Washington. Getty Images

WASHINGTON—The House ethics committee charged Rep. Charles Rangel (D., N.Y.) on Thursday with 13 counts of breaking House rules, launching disciplinary proceedings that could put one of the Democratic Party's prominent figures on public trial just before voters go to the polls this fall.

Mr. Rangel was charged during a rare public hearing by the ethics panel, a major blow to his 40-year legacy as a congressman.

The hearing began a few hours after lawyers for Mr. Rangel and ethics investigators struck a tentative deal that could lead to a quick settlement and bypass a public trial.

The details of that proposed settlement of the case, including Mr. Rangel's potential punishment, weren't known. Any agreement would need to win approval from a majority on the 10-member ethics panel. Membership on the committee is divided evenly between the two parties, giving Republicans the ability to block any plea agreement and force a trial.

Lawyers for House investigators and Rep. Charles Rangel have reached a tentative deal that could end a two-year ethics probe. Aaron Zitner discusses.

Mr. Rangel "was given opportunities to negotiate in the settlement phase. We are now in the trial phase," said Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, a Republican on the ethics panel. He added: "Credibility is what's at stake here.…We must regain the people's trust."

Mr. Rangel told reporters Thursday evening: " Even though there are serious charges, I am prepared to prove that the only thing I've ever had in my 50 years of public service is service. That's what I've done. And if I've been overzealous in providing that service, I can't make an excuse for the serious violation but I can have an explanation of my intent."

The charges against Mr. Rangel, 80 years old, are related to his solicitation of donations for a City College of New York center named after him. He was also charged with using a rent-stabilized apartment as a campaign office in New York; failing to report income from a vacation rental in the Dominican Republic; and for a "pattern of submitting inaccurate and incomplete financial disclosure statements" to Congress.

Dates of a Scandal

House investigators have laid out a series of ethics accusations against Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel. See key dates on the case.

Ken Gross, an ethics and campaign-finance attorney in Washington, said that none of the charges would likely result in Mr. Rangel being kicked out of Congress.

"The penalty is having to go through the trial process, more than anything that they will do at the end of the day," Mr. Gross said.

"A rare and very public proceeding at a critical time in the election process would make any trial very painful," he said.

In recent days, Mr. Rangel has held out hope for a settlement. A major sticking point in the talks has been his contention that he didn't willfully break House rules, and that any transgressions resulted from honest mistakes.

The wording of the ethics panel's findings about Mr. Rangel's alleged violations has also been at issue, according to a person familiar with the case.

Negotiations between Mr. Rangel and ethics investigators have dragged on for months. Last week, the ethics committee, formally known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, announced that it had found enough evidence of wrongdoing that it would begin a public process to determine whether to convict him.

Among the 13 allegations leveled against Rep. Rangel:

  • Raising money for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College in violation of the solicitation and gift ban;
  • Raising donations for the Rangel Center from people who had business before the Ways and Means Committee in the House;
  • Using House letterhead to solicit contributions to the Rangel Center;
  • Using House employees and resources for work related to the Rangel Center;
  • Violating ethics rules with a "pattern of submitting inaccurate and incomplete financial disclosure statements";
  • Using a rent-stabilized apartment for a campaign office;
  • Failing to report income from a vacation rental property in the Dominican Republic;
  • Violating the "letter and spirit" of House rules.

Democrats have been privately and publicly urging Mr. Rangel to settle the case, and the Harlem lawmaker has said he hoped to do so. In the last week, four House Democrats have publicly called on Mr. Rangel to resign.

The House ethics committee detailed the allegations during a brief hearing. Mr. Rangel didn't attend the session, but several of his lawyers did.

Several Democratic lawmakers took steps to distance themselves from the once-powerful former chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Debbie Halvorson said she had given to charity all the campaign donations that she received from Mr. Rangel.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy said Mr. Rangel should step down from Congress.

Earlier on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said the charges should come to light even if that would have a negative impact on Democrats' election prospects this fall.

"The panel will work; it's bipartisan; the political chips will have to fall where they may," Ms. Pelosi told reporters at a press conference.

She denied that Mr. Rangel's ethics problems showed that she had failed to deliver on a promise to "drain" an ethical swamp in Washington.

Mr. Rangel made it clear he was bracing for a difficult day. "Sixty years ago, I survived a Chinese attack in North Korea, and as a result I haven't had a bad day since," said Mr. Rangel, who was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Korea. "But today, I have to reassess that statement."

Mr. Rangel is running for a 21st term. This year, the congressman has a handful of primary opponents.

—Eliza Gray contributed to this article.

Write to Brody Mullins at