[itchypickle]

L.A. Times ran the below story putting the race card out in front yet again....isn't anyone else getting tired of this? Now that Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangle are finally being held to account for their actions....suddenly it's simply due to racism...really?? And the part of the story about trying to keep 'unflattering' findings from the public is absurd..your are elected by the PUBLIC to do the work of the PUBLIC...and when you abuse that position it's asked to be kept from the public?? How's that 'swamp draining' going for ya Pelosi??



Ethics trials highlight racial tensions in Congress

Proceedings slated for House members Maxine Waters and Charles Rangel could create a rift between the Congressional Black Caucus and other Democratic leaders.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters will face a trial this year. (Associated Press, Charles Dharapak / October 27, 2009)

• 123Share
  
  0diggsdigg
  
• Related
• Maxine Waters faces ethics charges
• Rangel charged with 13 ethics violations

By James Oliphant and Richard Simon August 1, 2010

• E-mail
• Print
• Share
• Text Size

la-na-waters-20100801


Reporting from Washington —
The prospect of two long-serving African American lawmakers in the House enduring unprecedented public ethics trials seems likely to add to the growing tension between black members of Congress and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill and in the Obama administration. For the record: An article in Sunday's Section A about political ethics and race misspelled the last name of Michael Steel, spokesman for Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio, as Steele.
Congressional sources confirmed late Friday that later this year Rep. Maxine Waters (D- Los Angeles) will face an ethics proceeding likely related to allegations that she sought to help a bank with ties to her husband receive federal bailout funds.

» Don't miss a thing. Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.

The House trial could come on the heels of the high-profile trial of Rep. Charles B. Rangel, the venerable Democrat from New York who is accused of 13 violations of House ethics rules. Like Rangel, Waters chose not to seek a settlement with House ethics investigators that would have involved some admission of wrongdoing.

Between them, Rangel, 80, and Waters, 71, have served in the House for six decades and are leading members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The caucus has long complained that the House ethics process disproportionally targets African Americans in the chamber.

Since its 2009 inception, the Office of Congressional Ethics — an independent watchdog set up at the behest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — has investigated at least eight members of the black caucus.

Earlier this summer, Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D- Ohio), a member of the caucus, introduced a resolution that would strip the ethics panel of some of its power and allow House members to keep unflattering reports from public view. The caucus has stood behind Rangel even as other House members have called for his resignation.

Kenneth Gross, an ethics lawyer in Washington, said the push against Rangel and Waters "fuels the racial dimension."

"It's going to be so highly charged considering who the players are," he added.

Waters came under scrutiny last year after Massachusetts-based OneUnited Bank, one of the nation's largest minority-owned institutions, received $12 million in bailout funds.

The funding came three months after Waters, a senior member of the House committee that oversees banking, helped arrange a meeting between officials of the bank, other minority-owned financial institutions and Treasury Department representatives. Waters' husband, Sidney Williams, had owned stock in the bank and served on its board.

Waters has previously said that she fully disclosed her husband's ties to the bank.

Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson and other civil rights leaders in L.A. issued a statement Saturday supporting Waters, who represents parts of South Los Angeles.

"The ethics charges taint Waters' record and work. They come at a time when Democrats are fighting to hold their majority in Congress," Hutchinson said. "The political implications of the charges and the timing of them against her are clear. Sadly, the ultimate loser is her constituents."

The probes have handed prime election-year fodder to Republicans. "Like Chairman Rangel, this is another example of Speaker Pelosi's most glaring broken promise: to 'drain the swamp' in Washington," said Michael Steele, a spokesman for Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio, the House's Republican leader.

Ethics advocates maintain that lax enforcement of House ethics rules encouraged Rangel and Waters to take defiant stands. Rep. Gene Green (D- Texas) may have furthered that perception late last week when he said panel members who investigated Rangel advised that he be given a simple reprimand, rather than a censure or expulsion from the House.

Neither Rangel nor Waters are ultimately expected to be forced to resign even if they are found guilty of breaking ethics rules.

Meredith McGehee of the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington ethics advocacy group, disputed the caucus' contention that the House ethics process is racially biased. Instead, she said, veteran lawmakers who have little to fear from their constituents are more likely to run afoul of ethical standards.

"I understand their concerns," McGehee said, "but it's what happens when you are in a safe district. You don't have a lot of competition."

The ethics cases are the latest source of tension between the Congressional Black Caucus and Democratic leaders.

The caucus earlier this month was unhappy over the Obama administration's treatment of black Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod, who was asked to resign after her remarks in a video clip were taken out of context. In addition, some members of the caucus believe Obama has done little to support the candidacy in Florida of Rep. Kendrick B. Meek, who is bidding to become the state's first African American senator.

[Carseller4]

This would suggest to me that he believes the evidence is on his side.

Or he has enough money saved up by not paying his taxes to bribe a judge or two?

[itchypickle]

Or he has enough money saved up by not paying his taxes to bribe a judge or two?

I mentioned in an earlier post that guys like Rangle and Weiner are from districts of NY that will conitnually elct them withstanding almost anything short of molesting a 12 year old on the floors of Congress....so Charlie will go ahead with the trial knowing that a) it's those dumbass voters in his district that matter so doesn't really matter how bad he looks to the other 99% of the country since we can't vote for him and b) He's been around a long time and is willing to go down swinging knowing that his party is in major trouble for the next few years...so why not be selfish here.

[andywend]

Rangel's district is Harlem while Waters's district is the California version of the same.

I mentioned in an earlier post that guys like Rangle and Weiner are from districts of NY that will conitnually elct them withstanding almost anything short of molesting a 12 year old on the floors of Congress.

Itchy, even if they were caught on live video doing the molestation you speak of, they both would be re-elected in a landslide by the voters that live in their respective districts.

Rangel and Waters are textbook examples of why we need term limits in the house and senate.

[itchypickle]

Rangel's district is Harlem while Waters's district is the California version of the same.Itchy, even if they were caught on live video doing the molestation you speak of, they both would be re-elected in a landslide by the voters that live in their respective districts.

Rangel and Waters are textbook examples of why we need term limits in the house and senate.

Andy, I threw in Weiner for the helluva it since he's pretty useless to his district as well...but yep Calif voters are like-minded in how they consistently reelect these people.