Waters’ rights not violated, panel says
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee concluded Wednesday that Rep. Maxine Waters’ rights weren’t violated in an investigation, clearing the way for the panel to determine whether the California Democrat improperly tried to steer federal money to a bank where her husband is a shareholder.
Her allegations of unfair treatment led to the extraordinary decision in February by the committee’s five Republicans and its top Democrat to step away from the case. Six new members were added to handle the investigation and an outside lawyer, Billy Martin, was hired to investigate the committee’s conduct.
Waters, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, has denied wrongdoing. She had no immediate comment.
A letter to Waters by the acting chairman, Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-Va., and the acting top Democrat, Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky, said Martin concluded that Waters’ rights were protected and there was no wrongdoing by lawmakers.
But the letter cited unauthorized leaks of investigative information by committee staff and by Waters.
Waters has contended that committee procedures did not give her a chance to present her case and unduly delayed the investigation, which began in late 2009. The most explosive allegations centered on the leak of internal committee documents to the news media and communications among some staff investigators and Republican committee members.
The Goodlatte-Yarmuth letter said the committee found three instances in which confidential information was disclosed. The committee concluded the disclosures occurred after formal charges were brought against Waters and therefore could not have had any affect.
Waters has contended from the start that she did not try to steer federal bailout money to OneUnited Bank, where her husband had stock and at one time served on the board. In August 2010, the committee charged the 11-term congresswoman with three counts of alleged ethics violations.