WASHINGTON (AP) — The House ethics committee's chief counsel recommended Thursday that Rep. Charles Rangel be censured in connection with the panel's finding that he engaged in improper financial and fundraising conduct.

Chief counsel Blake Chisman called for that punishment, despite the veteran New York Democrat's plea for "a drop of fairness and mercy."

If Mr. Chisam's recommendation is carried out, it would be the most serious punishment short of expulsion that could be meted out by the House. Mr. Chisam and Mr. Rangel argued their positions at a public hearing on sanctions, where the 80-year-old congressman acknowledged making mistakes in handling his finances and said he wasn't there to "retry this case"...

The House ethics committee will accuse Rep. Maxine Waters of breaking the chamber's rules after a year-long investigation into allegations she sought the Treasury Department's help for a bank in which her husband was invested, the committee said Monday.

The announcement was made less than a week after the committee announced 13 ethics charges against Rep. Charles B. Rangel, and threatens to dog Democrats in the run-up to November's elections. With two senior black lawmakers facing charges, it has raised questions about whether black House members are being targeted by ethics officials.

Ms. Waters, a California Democrat in her 10th term in Congress, challenged the finding, saying she did not benefit from her advocacy. She said she's opted for a public hearing to try to clear her name...