Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) Named One of the Most Corrupt Members of Congress

[timosman]

http://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/maxine-waters-named-most-corrupt-member-of-congress/



Washington, D.C. – In the midst of a national financial catastrophe, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) used her position as a senior member of Congress and member of the House Financial Services Committee to prevail upon Treasury officials to meet with OneUnited Bank. She never disclosed that her husband held stock in the bank. This outrageous conduct has led Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) to include the congresswoman as one of the Most Corrupt Members of Congress. Click here to read the full report on Rep. Waters.

“By contacting then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to request a meeting, allegedly for a group of minority-owned banks, but then arranging for only one bank – OneUnited, in which she had a financial interest – to attend, Rep. Waters violated House conflict of interest rules,” said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan.

Around the same time Rep. Waters asked the Treasury Department to hold the initial meeting, Rep. Waters spoke to Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) about OneUnited, telling him that her husband previously had served on the board. Rep. Frank advised her to stay out of matters related to the bank. Nevertheless, Rep. Waters’ chief of staff and grandson, Mikael Moore, continued to actively assist OneUnited representatives in their quest to receive bailout funds, and worked to craft legislation authorizing Treasury to grant OneUnited’s request.

Rep. Waters was scheduled for an ethics trial on November 29, 2010, but the House Ethics Committee postponed the hearing. Inconsistent reports have emerged suggesting both potential new evidence and serious misconduct by two of the committee’s attorneys and improper conduct by committee members. In July 2011, the committee hired respected D.C attorney Billy Martin as outside counsel to investigate both the case against Rep. Waters and the committee itself.

“The ethics committee has handled the case against Rep. Waters with the maturity of school children,” said Ms. Sloan. “Happily, adult supervision in the form of Mr. Martin has been brought in to clean up the mess.”

This is the 7th edition of the CREW’S Most Corrupt Report, an annual look at a bipartisan collection of Washington’s worst. This year’s list includes seven Democrats, and 12 Republicans. Five are repeat offenders. Since 2005, CREW has named 70 members of Congress to the list, 32 of whom are no longer in office.

[Zippyjuan]

This is the 7th edition of the CREW’S Most Corrupt Report, an annual look at a bipartisan collection of Washington’s worst. This year’s list includes seven Democrats, and 12 Republicans.

Republicans for the win!

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/23/us/politics/republican-duncan-hunter-ethics-investigation.html?_r=0


Duncan Hunter Under Criminal Investigation for Ethics Violations


WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into a California congressman who faces allegations that he spent tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds on family trips to Hawaii and Italy, private school tuition and dance competitions for his children, and even video games, officials disclosed Thursday.

Representative Duncan D. Hunter, a Republican from San Diego who was considered for several top national security posts in President Trump’s administration, became the latest in a string of at least eight current or former members of Congress to face criminal investigations over ethics issues in the last several years.

A five-term congressman, Mr. Hunter has already paid back $60,000 to his political campaign to correct what he said were mistaken payments for personal items.

But that has not cleared him of scrutiny.

The House Ethics Committee, which has been examining Mr. Hunter’s possible misuse of campaign funds, said in a statement on Thursday that it would put its review on hold at the request of the Justice Department.

Typically, the Justice Department asks the ethics committee to hold off on a review because it has opened a criminal investigation of its own. A person with knowledge of the case said prosecutors have notified Mr. Hunter of their criminal investigation.

“Congressman Hunter intends to cooperate fully with the government on this investigation, and maintains that to the extent any mistakes were made they were strictly inadvertent and unintentional,” said Mr. Hunter’s lawyers, Elliot S. Berke and Gregory A. Vega.

The lawyers said that Mr. Hunter learned of the possible ethics issues last year and “out of an abundance of caution, he took corrective action,” by repaying about $60,000.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the case on Thursday.

Mr. Hunter’s Democratic opponent in last year’s election tried to make the mounting reports of the congressman’s legal problems a campaign issue. But Mr. Hunter easily won re-election.




Mr. Hunter “may have converted tens of thousands of dollars of campaign funds from his congressional campaign committee to personal use to pay for family travel, flights, utilities, health care, school uniforms and tuition, jewelry, groceries, and other goods, services, and expenses,” said the ethics office, an independent body that House Republicans tried to shut down in January.

A watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, brought a complaint with the ethics office last April charging that Mr. Hunter’s campaign spending included family trips to Italy and Hawaii, consulting fees to his wife, payments to his children’s parochial school and $1,300 for video games that he said his teenage son mistakenly charged to a credit card.

Noah Bookbinder, the group’s director, said Mr. Hunter “has shown a blatant disregard for the rules.” He called the case “the most egregious congressional spending scandal since Aaron Schock,” referring to the former Republican congressman from Illinois who gained infamy for decorating his House office in an ornate manner inspired by “Downton Abbey.” Mr. Schock was indicted by the Justice Department last November on 24 criminal counts and has pleaded not guilty.

[Zippyjuan]

Hunter's father had the position before him and was involved in scandals too.

https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/like_father_like_son


As Chair of the powerful House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Hunter
has unquestionably wielded influence. His best-known accomplishments
included bringing home the bacon for defense industry jobs and contracts in
San Diego County, though with reapportionment in recent years far fewer of
those jobs remain in the 52nd district.

He has stated in interviews that he was largely responsible for determining
which intelligence information members of Congress would see before determining
whether to approve the Iraq War, and has served as a spokesman in national
media interviews for the Bush administration on military matters ranging from
progress of the War to treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a nonpartisan citizens’ watchdog
group, listed the senior Hunter as one of the most corrupt members of Congress
in 2007, detailing 23 pages of purported corruption:
www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/files/beyond_delay_report.pdf

The CREW reported summarized its complaints: “Rep. Hunter’s
ethical issues stem from his connection to a number of people at the center
of the largest military corruption scandal of the decade -- connections that
have been investigated by the FBI -- and his earmarks for projects that benefit
his defense industry political donors, but that the military does not want.”

In addition to ethical issues surrounding his official work, CREW noted, “Rep.
Hunter purchased his home in a questionable land deal, escaped paying full
property taxes for many years on the home and gave conflicting reports of the
property’s true value. Rep. Hunter also used the power of his office
to financially benefit his brother and his presidential campaign has violated
federal election law.” CREW further criticized Hunter for his close relationship
with Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who was convicted of bribery and
described Hunter as his “mentor”, as well as Hunter’s
relationships with other key players in the Cunningham scandal.

Trying to find the list of who else they included in the "Most Corrupt".

Seems this is from 2011? That is when their "7th Edition" came out.



This is the 7th edition of the CREW’S Most Corrupt Report,


Rep. Waters was scheduled for an ethics trial on November 29, 2010, but the House Ethics Committee postponed the hearing. Inconsistent reports have emerged suggesting both potential new evidence and serious misconduct by two of the committee’s attorneys and improper conduct by committee members. In July 2011, the committee hired respected D.C attorney Billy Martin as outside counsel to investigate both the case against Rep. Waters and the committee itself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxine_Waters


Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) named Waters to its list of corrupt members of Congress in its 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011 reports.

[Zippyjuan]

They actually had Ron Paul on their list one year- 2012: https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/09/12/ron-paul-one-of-the-most-corrupt-members-of-congress-report-finds


Ron Paul One Of The Most Corrupt Members Of Congress, Report Finds

Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul has been named one of the most corrupt members of Congress in a new report from the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

The report says Paul "double-billed" his travel expenses a number of times over the last decade, meaning he may have been reimbursed for the same flights both under his official allowance as congressman, and by either non-profit groups under his control or his campaign committee.

The revelation would be ironic in part because Paul made fiscal responsibility a central tenet of his 2012 presidential campaign. The congressman celebrated a major victory in July when his bill to audit the Federal Reserve for greater transparency passed the House.

Paul's possible double-billing has been in the public eye since Roll Call first reported it in February, but CREW says there is no evidence Paul has repaid the money since.

A request for comment from Paul's office was not immediately returned.

[timosman]

Does your contract spell Maxine individually or do you have to cover for all democrats?

[seapilot]

They are all secretly working for the Russians, especially Wa Compost new star journalist Podesta.

[oyarde]

Actually , the congressional black caucus has some of the worst dead wood ever . Carson ( Indpls ) , Cummings ( MD) , Jackson - Lee ( Tx ) , Conyers ( MI) , Clyburn ( SC ) , Ellison ( Mn ) ,Lewis ( GA) and Waters ( CalExit ). Thanks voters . Maybe the congressional white caucus or Indian caucus will step up and fund some candidates to get rid of these commie deadbeats .

[phill4paul]

They actually had Ron Paul on their list one year- 2012: https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/09/12/ron-paul-one-of-the-most-corrupt-members-of-congress-report-finds

Already covered in the way-back: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?390319-CREW-quot-Corrupt-Ron-Paul-quot-Report-Completely-Exposed-As-A-Lie

[timosman]

Already covered in the way-back: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?390319-CREW-quot-Corrupt-Ron-Paul-quot-Report-Completely-Exposed-As-A-Lie

And Zippy is still peddling this bullcrap?

[AuH20]

I am not impressed with the acumen of some of these Congressional Black Caucus members. At least Keith Ellison can talk in an articulate fashion. John Lewis looks and sounds like someone they pulled off a street corner.

You're telling me that the black community cannot produce more competent reps? I don't believe that for a second.

[AuH20]

Actually , the congressional black caucus has some of the worst dead wood ever . Carson ( Indpls ) , Cummings ( MD) , Jackson - Lee ( Tx ) , Conyers ( MI) , Clyburn ( SC ) , Ellison ( Mn ) ,Lewis ( GA) and Waters ( CalExit ). Thanks voters . Maybe the congressional white caucus or Indian caucus will step up and fund some candidates to get rid of these commie deadbeats .

Very true. It's basically an entrenched clique of lowlifes.

[oyarde]

I am not impressed with the acumen of some of these Congressional Black Caucus members. At least Keith Ellison can talk in an articulate fashion. John Lewis looks and sounds like someone they pulled off a street corner.

You're telling me that the black community cannot produce more competent reps? I don't believe that for a second.
I could go to the local High School here and pick out a Senior better than Waters .

[shakey1]

Waters... certainly not the brightest bulb in the circuit either.

[Suzanimal]

Waters... certainly not the brightest bulb in the circuit either.

http://i.imgur.com/19DUfpz.png

[Anti Federalist]

http://i.imgur.com/19DUfpz.png

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Marty-McFly-What.gif

[euphemia]

I'm shocked, shocked I tell you!! :eek: