Rep. Fattah: Rangel and Waters Will Be Cleared of Charges
Congressional Black Caucus member and former Ethics Committee member Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Penn.) said Wednesday Reps. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) will be cleared of ethics charges they face this fall.
Fattah told CBS News political analyst John Dickerson on "Washington Unplugged" that the two high ranking CBC members deserve the opportunity to defend themselves. Both have opted to go to trial rather than admit to any wrongdoing.
In an interview with CBS "Early Show" anchor Harry Smith on Friday, President Obama called the allegations against Rangel "very troubling" -- remarks some have taken as a gentle shove for Rangel to resign. "Absolutely not," Fattah says. "People were trying to push a particular narrative."
"It's mainly been the media. There has been all this talk but very little actual investigative work," Fattah told Dickerson.
While Fattah blames the hype surrounding the cases on the media, he does not think race is an issue.
"I know the members of the Ethics Committee, I know the leadership of the committee, both the Democrats and the Republicans leaders," he said. "I don't think race has anything to do with it."
CBS News GOP House race consultant David Winston was also a guest on "Washington Unplugged."
