Ethics panel to charge California Rep. Waters

[many a good man]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON – A House investigative panel has decided to charge Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California with ethics violations, raising the possibility of a second high-profile trial with political implications for Democrats this fall.

People familiar with the investigation, who were not authorized to be quoted about unannounced charges, say the allegations could be announced next week. The House ethics committee declined Friday to make any public statement on the matter.

Waters has been under investigation for a possible conflict of interest involving a bank that was seeking federal aid. Her husband owned stock in the bank.

New York Democrat Rep. Charles Rangel also faces an ethics trial this fall on separate charges that included failure to disclose assets and income, nonpayment of taxes and doing legislative favors for donors to a college center named after him.

Both Waters and Rangel are prominent members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Dual ethics trials would be a major political liability for Democrats, forcing them to defend their party's ethical conduct while trying to hold on to their House majority.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100731/ap_on_go_co/us_waters_ethics

[upi402]

1. We have these people to "thank"

111th Congress
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct

Democrats
Zoe Lofgren,
Chair, California

Ben Chandler, Kentucky

G.K. Butterfield, North Carolina

Kathy Castor, Florida

Peter Welch, Vermont

Republicans
Jo Bonner,
Ranking Republican Member, Alabama

Mike Conaway, Texas

*unless this is a 'clearing the decks' move, something if very unfair if BushCo is on the streets.

Charles Dent, Pennsylvania

Gregg Harper, Mississippi

Michael McCaul, Texas

[opihimoimoi]

2. Sometimes the Swamp Must be DRAINED no matter the hurt/cost

[aquart]

4. Yes, and let's make sure they're all virgins from now on.

[EFerrari]

7. They have a right wing former CIA hitman as the co-chair

of the House Ethics Office. Do you seriously believe this can be a fair process?

[24601]

15. Yes, because the ethics committee members are evenly split

rather than being skewed along majority/minority proportions. For any finding of guilt, at least one dem would have to vote for it. If she done bad (I'm not pre-judging that she did) than she deserves consequences regardless of her party or positions.

[EFerrari]

16. The House Ethics Office is a joke. It's rotten from the head down.

What you're describing is how the process is supposed to work, not necessarily how it does work, imho.

[24601]

19. Well, then go after Pelosi who names the Democratic members

of the committee. If it's a joke, it's her joke.

But I don't agree that it is. It's the only House committee that evenly split and can't do anything without a bipartisan vote. True, they should have more tools to use (floggings, hanging, waterboarding, solitary confinement) but we get the tools we have, not necessarily the tolls we would like to have. For a non-judicial proceeding, it's OK - and nothing stops the DoJ from prosecuting in parallel with an ethics investigation.

[EFerrari]

20. I did protest at the time. It is her joke, that's right. nt

[BillH76]

22. Great metaphor.

And I'll just sit here like Old King Log, and watch all the poisons that lie dormant in the swamp hatch out. (Apologies to Robert Graves.)

[Liberty Belle]

3. I knew Maxine in Sacramento, one of the most ethical folks around.

I do not believe she would sell out, period.

[slay]

5. And yet the Bush/Cheney crimes not only go unpunished, but uninvestigated

I have no idea if she's guilty - i would imagine most congress critters are corrupt in some fashion. But the way Dems just let the Repubs get away with major crimes makes me think they are in on them in some fashion too. :shrug: No investigation of how we got into Iraq really? The lies that led up to it? Something is VERY wrong here.

[BolivarianHero]

24. Don't act so surprised...

Many Democrats, including so-called Liberal lions, have backed US military involvement in Iraq for well over a decade. I'm surprised Bush and his cronies even needed to make a pretense for going in in 2003.

[JVS]

6. So who is behind this?

[Historic NY]

8. Hey aren't there a few Republicans due too ?..Hers sounds just so Republican.

[McCamy Taylor]

9. Why the attacks on high profile African-American reps? Haven't we gotten over the

"fear Blacks in power" myth?

This is Pat Buchanan's "southern strategy." Can not believe that House Democrats are going along with this charade. What next? New charges against Barry Bonds? Posthumous charges against Michael Jackson? I guess since the DOJ has suspended the war against Black folks, Congress has picked it up.

Or maybe our new improved "corporate Democrats" want the progressives out. And Blacks make the easiest target.

[judesedit]

10. Horny Justice Thomas and his tea-party wife should be next. I'm tired of all of these politicians

acting like their squeaky clean....when you KNOW NONE of them are. They're just lucky when they don't get caught. I'd love to see ALL OF THEIR tax records over the years. 250 millionaires in Congress. Their accountants tell them how to get around every law, evade every tax, and when to put their assets in trusts or somebody else's name. Many pay off the judges assigned to hear their cases. I say, "Expose them all!" The sooner the better.

[judesedit]

11. Spare the hell outta me. Bush and Cheney are PROVEN to be war-criminals among other things and they

walk free. It's all total bullshit. Congress let Bushco get away with ruining this country for 8 years. First, when it was exposed that an election was handed to them by Bushy boy's brother Jebby. Al Gore WON that election legally. A proven fact that they stopped counting when they knew that to be true. Bush/Cheney should have been out on their asses right then. Secondly, in 2004 Bushco literally stole the election from Kerry, using the same electronic voting devices and software that we STILL allow to be used in this country's elections today, which is a travesty. The gentlemen who created the software to throw the election in Ohio and Florida already testified to these facts. Don't take my word for it. Do your research and see and hear it for yourself. Yet, Congress let them continue on destroying this country. Bushco took a huge surplus left by Clinton and turned it into a huge deficit. Bushco put in place $700 BILLION in tax cuts during wartime for the most wealthy in the country, including themselves, with no way to replace those funds, except by borrowing from China. They started 2 wars, one totally of choice, the other still remains to be uncovered. In 8 years, they created only 3 millions jobs, lost 4.5 million, after Clinton created 23 million in his 8 years. Unemployment at 7.6% before Obama even got in. Bushco left office and took NO responsibilty before the full effects of their destruction were felt. Bushco and the GOP planned to have the shit hit the fan after they left so the next administration could deal with the pile of shit they left. Bushco put the WORST people on our Supreme Court. Bushco created Halliburton and let coal and oil companies operate ignoring any safety measures that were in place. Bushco tortured and murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people. And they have NOT even been charged for ONE of their blatant abuses of the law, domestically or internationally. Personally, as long as Bush and Cheney are alive I will pray they get their rightful justice. I already know they will in their next one. I hope every one of these crooks are exposed. Every last one of them. We have to have a government that cannot be paid off by every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Let's get rid of this bunch of greedy bastards and get some good people in there. And change the laws so they cannot buy seats in OUR government.

[24601]

17. None of that has anything to do with the professional standards

and conduct in the House of Representatives.

The Rep. Rangel & Waters investigations are House internal processes. When Speaker Pelosi pledged to drain the swamp, the swamp in question was the House of Representatives and how Members & Staff need to follow the rules that apply to everyone else. The House ethics committee has no jurisdiction outside the House so references to the Executive Branch, Judges, Governors and even Senators aren't on their table. The only real question - Pelosi took over as Speaker in January 2007 - so what took so long?

[Bitwit1234]

12. Why in the hell aren't all the very criminal acts by the republicans

being investigated. Because the Democrats are so bad ass dumb they think they are being bipartisian. When who in the devil cares. That's why they didn't prosecute Bush and company. BUT LOOK WHERE IT GOT THEM. LOOK AT WHAT THE REPUBLICANS HAVE ADMITTED THEY ARE GOING TO DO IF THEY EVER GET IN.

What is wrong with Democrats. Do they wear blinders.

[24601]

18. Prosecute means out of the Ethics Committee and under the

Criminal Justice System. Two very different process.

But you probably forgot about "Duke" Cunningham, a republican sent to prison by the Bush DoJ.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/03/cunningham.sentenced/

Very different than the political issues that could be criminalized. So when you talk about going after Bush, are you also willing to extradite Clinton (& others in his admin) to Serbia to serve their sentences for their (in absentia) war crimes conviction following the Belgrade bombings that were not backed by any UN resolutions?

[BolivarianHero]

25. I'd be willing to extradite any right-winger regardless of political affiliation...

The issue I would have, however, is that there's no way Clinton or Albright or anyone else would be able to get a fair trial in Serbia.

[24601]

26. The trial is long over - it was held without them and they were

convicted in absentia back in the 1990s. That's one reason Bill Clinton doesn't make any speeches in Serbia since he'd be their "guest" for 20 years.

[orbitalman]

13. "Former" Treasury Dept officials are trying to blow a whistle!!!!!!

Maxine is a Great lady. I espect "Former" would be republican. I personally don't think there is any one elected official that is lily white. Then any offense would be a matter of degree. This is how some accusers also get 'around' no unlawful action. The street goes both ways.

[lunatica]

14. Maxine is a true progressive

and a damn good representative. I've always admired her and will continue to. She is no crook, but she is outspoken and 'uppity' so it doesn't surprise me that she's being targeted.

[brooklynite]

27. We won the House and Senate in part because of Republican corruption...

...we can't simply disregard charges again Democrats as racially-motivated. Politicians of all parties, races, sexes and ideologies have been, and likely will continue to be, engaged in unethical practices, and if we don't clean up our own problems, we'll have no excuse when the Republicans beat us up over it.

[BillH76]

21. First Charlie, then Maxine....

And like Charlie, Maxine will just get a little slap on the wrist pat on the back. That's because they all do it, and people in glass houses blah blah.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[savalez]

28. "No benefit, no improper action, no failure to disclose, no one influenced: no case"

That's what she said and I'm gonna believe her until I hear otherwise.

[golfguru]

29. Congrats to speaker Pelosi for starting to drain the swamp

better late than never.

[classysassy]

30. When will Jane Harman

face the music?

[golfguru]

31. What has she done? n/t

[classysassy]

32. Jane Harmon

was overheard by N.S.A. promising to help an Israeli charged with wrong doing in this country if she was helped by an Israeli group to get a chairmanship in the congress.

[golfguru]

33. Not a lawyer but that sounds unethical and illegal to me

I am sure the speaker is looking into this.