Maxine Waters Chooses Ethics Trial

When it rains, it pours. After suffering the embarrassment of Charlie Rangel this week, the Democratic Party now has another similar affair to look forward to with longtime California representative Maxine Waters. Like Rangel, she has chosen to submit herself to an ethics trial, rather than simply accepting the charges made by a House ethics subcommittee. She stands accused of improperly involving herself with federal regulators to help a bank that her husband had a significant stake in—he once owned about $500,000 worth of stock and served on its board. Along with Rangel, she will also be the second member of the Congressional Black Caucus to undergo the House’s ethics proceedings in the coming months, leading the Caucus to complain that it has been unfairly targeted.