Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Under Investigation by: The House Ethics Committee and the OCE.

Under Investigation for: Rep. Waters is under investigation for securing meetings between officials at OneUnited Bank, a bank with which her husband has close financial ties, and officials at the Treasury Department in regards to obtaining bailout funds.  Rep. Waters’ husband, Sidney Williams, was once a member of the bank’s board of directors and his investments in the bank are worth at least $350,000.  OneUnited Bank received a $12 million bailout.

Status: The OCE referred Rep. Waters’ case to the House Ethics Committee.  On October 29, 2009, the committee announced the formation of a subcommittee to investigate the congresswoman, which on June 15, 2010, found Rep. Waters had violated three counts of House rules and federal law.  On August 2, 2010, the committee formed an adjudicatory subcommittee to evaluate the statement of alleged violations, but on November 19, 2010, the committee delayed the trial, citing the discovery of new evidence, and questions emerged about staff members’ conduct during the investigation.  Internal memos that surfaced publicly included allegations that two of the committee’s attorneys breached confidentiality, failed to provide Rep. Waters’ defense with all the material to which it was entitled, and engaged in partisan conduct.  Rep. Waters said the committee should dismiss its case against her, given the questions about the investigation, and CREW called on the committee to reconsider the case and, if it decides to proceed, begin a new investigation dating from the OCE’s referral.  On July 20, 2011, the committee appointed an outside counsel, Washington attorney Billy Martin, to investigate the committee’s conduct and Rep. Waters’ case.  Mr. Martin was initially required to report back to the committee by January 2, 2012, but on December 16, 2011, the committee voted to extend Mr. Martin’s contract until July 31, 2012.  On February 17, 2012, the committee announced that six members of the ethics committee had voluntarily recused themselves from Rep. Waters’ case and that six other members have been selected as alternates for the investigation.