Rep. Waters chooses trial rather than accept ethics charges, reports say

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has chosen to face a trial on ethics charges, several news outlets reported Friday night.

This compounds House Democrats’ troubles because it means that two lawmakers from the caucus, both of whom are also members of the Congressional Black Caucus, could face back-to-back public ethics trials immediately before the midterm elections.

A House ethics committee on Thursday brought 13 charges against Rep.
Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) as efforts to reach a settlement failed.

Waters is accused of helping facilitate $12 million in Troubled Asset Relief Program funds for OneUnited Bank, of which her husband was a director and stockholder. OneUnited Bank executives had also contributed to Waters’ campaigns.

Speculation was rampant on Friday that the ethics panel was poised to release its findings in the Waters case.