Maxine Waters probe: House Ethics Committee hires outside counsel

Los Angeles Times ^ | 7/20/11 | Richard Simon

[NormsRevenge]

The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday announced the hiring of an outside counsel to review the case against Rep. Maxine Waters and misconduct allegations against the committee staffers involved in investigating the veteran Los Angeles congresswoman.

The panel voted unanimously Tuesday night to hire Washington attorney Billy Martin.

"Serious allegations have been made about the committee's own conduct in this matter,'' the panel's Republican chairman Jo Bonner of Alabama and top Democrat, Linda Sanchez of California, said in a statement. "The committee has not taken these allegations lightly.''

Martin's hiring comes days after the disclosure of internal committee documents by Politico alleging that staff members working on the Waters' investigation had unauthorized contacts with Republican committee members and inappropriately withheld information from Waters' defense team. Waters, a Democrat, contends the revelations showed she cannot get a fair hearing from the panel.

Once the committee receives the findings of the investigation of its own staff's handling of the Waters' case, it will then decide whether to pursue the case against Waters, one of Los Angeles' most enduring African American politicians.

Waters has been accused of intervening on behalf of a bank where her husband owned stock and served on the board.

But the case against her, which grew out of an investigation that began two years ago, has been stalled by partisan strife within the committee, which operates largely in secret.

Earlier Wednesday, a coalition of government watchdog groups .. called on the committee to bring in an outside counsel to complete the Waters' probe to ensure the investigation's credibility.

The committee hired outside counsels in 1988 and 1995 to investigate allegations of misconduct against House Speakers Jim Wright (D-Texas) and Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), saying it was necessary to assure the public that the probes would be fair and objective.

[NormsRevenge]

Waters, one of Los Angeles’ most enduring African American politicians.

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enduring=corrupt to the core

[ColdOne]

Linda Sanchez of California, said in a statement. "The committee has not taken these allegations lightly.'' Good grief if Sanchez is involved the fix is in IMHO!

[Venturer]

No one in the House has the guts to buck her so they pass it on to someone else.

It really doesn’t matter ,no matter what this oputfit comes up with they arent about to Censure Maxine.

It really is a big wste of time she carries that old worn out card , plus the CBC would back her no matter of the outcome.

More a joke than anything else for anyone expecting any real action.

[freekitty]

So true. Maybe she who can’t make up which name she wants to use will be tossed in jail along side of Loud Mouth Soup Waters.

[ColdOne]

True I forgot about that name ordeal.... What a sad state CA has become, well this whole gov

[Bernard Marx]

Good grief if Sanchez is involved the fix is in IMHO!

Ya think? If that weren't enough proof, Billy Martin is one of Holder's people.

[ronnie raygun]

She should be jailed along with Raines, Barnie Frank and Dodd for fanny and freddy

[BobP]

... they aren't about to Censure Maxine.

--------------------------

I agree Venturer.

Maxine 'hide the money' Waters

[Tainan]

"...if Sanchez is involved the fix is in..."

Roger that.

[SaraJohnson]

What do you wanna bet that investigator Martin is a good ole boy socialist selected by the Democrats on the ethics panel? I would further guess that this is what Republicans had to agree to in order for the Democrats to permit an investigation of Maxine and ethic panel staff.