Maxine Waters Charged with Three Ethics Violations

AP

The House ethics committee today released three charges of ethical wrongdoing against Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California.

The charges relate to whether Waters gave inappropriate assistance to a bank to which she had personal connections in getting federal bailout money.

The committee says Waters organized a meeting in 2008 between Treasury officials and executives from OneUnited Bank, where her husband was once a board member and had large investments. The bank received $12 million from the federal government's Troubled Asset Relief Program.

The first charge against Waters states she violated a House rule that members must "behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House." Waters should have instructed her chief of staff to stop assisting OneUnited once it became clear she should not be involved in helping the bank, but she failed to do so, the charges state.

Her staff's "continued involvement in assisting OneUnited created an appearance that [Waters] was taking official action for [Waters'] personal benefit, which did not reflect creditably on the House," the charges state.

Waters was also charged with violating the "spirit" of the House rule that prohibits a member from receiving compensation for exerting improper influence from her position in Congress. Waters' husband's investments in OneUnited constituted compensation, according to the charges.

The congresswoman was also charged with violating the Code of Ethics for Government Service.

Waters, who serves on the House Financial Services Committee, has defended her request for the meeting between Treasury officials and OneUnited executives as part of her efforts to advocate on behalf of minority-owned businesses. She maintains she is innocent of any wrongdoing and would rather face a public trial before the ethics committee this fall than admit to any of the charges against her.

House Democrat Charlie Rangel was also charged with multiple ethics violations this summer and will stand trial before the committee in the fall.

[Rachel262]

Water's is almost as much of a "SCUM" as the clintons and obama!

[stuwerb]

Maxine Waters, sister won't you soothe my fevered brow?
Maxine Waters, I'll get down to the sea, somehow. I'll get down to the sea, somehow!
I just can't get that Jackson Browne song out of my head.

[caducguy]

Could not happen to a better person. Bye Bye MAD MAXine

[telphone444]

the fox is defintely in the henhouse.

[abbe91]

Looks like democrats get even in California, score is now 3-3 for representatives under investigation ...

John Doolittle (R)
Bob Filner (D)
Jane Harman (D)
Jerry Lewis (R)
Gary Miller (R)

[wdh3007]

Don't worry Maxine will be gone in November along with Sorry Charlie Rangel and all the other crooks & criminals.

[ksmit2]

Who cares, this is a world where everything is a publicity stunt. When
you want to "prosecute" someone like this, you are giving them what they
want, and at significant cost. You will make Mrs Waters into a martyr,
and hero for the "downtrodden" who they will say was attacked by the
"racist right", who are always out to "get" minority leaders, persons
like herself. We as a country will continue to lose much more in the
way of massive debt, foreign policies, and ad nauseum, than we ever would
from a dime a dozen chipmunk politician looking for a showdown with
the "Man"..

[j40405]

She should be removed from her seat along with other corrupt Politicians. Obama should not be allowed to appoint anyone to replace her. The people she represents would simply go without a voice until the next election.

[abbe91]

I guess you meant :"Schwarzenegger should not be allowed to appoint anyone to replace her" ?

[formrusmcsgt]

The professional politician's creed:

Self above party.

Party above country.

[GrannyCares]

Folks, can you imagine what would happen to you or me if we were to commit the same crimes as did Rangel and Waters??

Is there something in a politician's DNA that makes them cheat? Makes them break the law? Makes them want to be above the law?

That is why we have a Constitution to preclude this stuff!!

Pelosi can talk all she wants to about 'draining the swamp'. SHE IS PROVING THAT SHE IS INCAPABLE!! A two year investigation at taxpayer?s expense, and now the US Congress does not have the backbone to do anything more than an nonbinding ?rebuke?! They sound like CHILDREN! ?Well, so and so did it!?

WE NEED TO ?REBUKE? THEM ALL IN NOVEMBER 2010 and 2012!

What is wrong with our politicians today?? One thing for sure, Obama sure has not set a high standard!!

*Geithner -- tax cheat
*Daschle -- failure to pay taxes
*Sec of HHS Sebelius ?admitted to ?UNINTENTIONAL TAX ERRORS?? ? only about $8,000 folks!
*Sec of Labor Solis ? husband had to settle outstanding tax liens
*Nancy Killefer (Chief Performance Officer nominee) ? failure to pay unemployment compensation taxes for household employee!

And now, we have another Member of Congress being investigated by the Ethics Committee and wants a trial ? Maxine Waters ? for ?ADVOCATING? for ?bailout funds? for a bank her hubby just happened to have sat on the board (OF A BOSTON BANK NO LESS --- THOUGHT SHE REPRESENTED A DISTRICT IN LA!! Bet Barney Frank is ticked off at Maxine for ?poaching?!). What a coincidence ? bet she did not know one thing about her husband?s ventures until money was delivered!!

AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO ENTRUST OUR FUTURES TO THE ETHICS CHALLENGED ?GREED HOARDERS????? They are nothing more than government sanctioned crooks bleeding our country dry under the guise of ?government?!