A spokesman for Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said Wednesday that the congressman is still deciding which local charities will receive some of the $26,000 he has received over the course of his two most recent campaigns from committees connected to Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.

Rangel agreed to temporarily relinquish his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee this week, amid lingering ethical questions about his personal property, taxes and travel.

Courtney will give an amount equivalent to the total contributed to his campaigns by Rangel to eastern Connecticut charities, said communications director Brian Farber, with the recipients to be decided within the next few weeks.

"For some time, Congressman Courtney has been in the process of reviewing worthy charitable organizations in eastern Connecticut to benefit from these funds," Farber said. "Those organizations will be announced in the future."

Courtney has been considering the move since last week, Farber said.

Meanwhile, Republican organizations have been attempting to pressure Democratic members of Congress to give back campaign cash associated with Rangel, much as Democrats did during the hey day of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the controversial Republican who left office amid criminal investigations of his campaign finance activities.