Rangel Recommendation a Slap on the Wrist?

The investigative panel of bipartisan lawmakers looking at alleged violations of House rules by New York Rep. Charlie Rangel recommended a "reprimand" for the longtime lawmaker, Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, a member of the panel, said Friday.

A reprimand is the most lenient of the three, formal modes of discipline in the House. The other two are censure and expulsion.

A Congressional Research Service report indicates that "reprimand expressly involves a lesser level of disapproval of a Member than that of Censure, and is thus a less severe reubuke by the institution."

Under a reprimand, a lawmaker must stand in the well of the House and be reprimanded by the speaker.

Rangel is facing 13 allegations of violations relating to his tax filings for properties he owns in the Dominican Republic and the use of four rent-controlled apartments in pricey New York City.