Rep. Maxine Waters Cleared of Ethics Allegations
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, will not be charged with ethics violations, the House Ethics Committee announced Friday.
A senior Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, Waters was accused of directing a financial bailout to a bank whose investors included her husband, the Associated Press reports. The committee did find that Mikael Moore, Waters’ chief of staff, tried help the bank in Congress, and violated conduct standards. He will probably receive a letter admonishing his behavior, the AP reports.
Moore is also Waters’ grandson, according to the Los Angeles Times. Her husband, Sidney Williams, was on the board of OneUnited Bank from January 2004 to April 2008, the paper reports. He also owned stock in the bank, which describes itself as the largest black-owned bank in the country. Waters, whose district includes south central Los Angeles, has argued that her actions in question were not just in support of OneUnited, but minority banks in general.
Noted Washington, D.C., defense lawyer Billy Martin was hired by the committee to investigate the charges against Waters, the Los Angeles Times reports, and make a recommendation about the allegations.
