Maxine Waters hit with ethics violation charges

A House investigative panel has charged California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) with violating ethics rules, according to the Associated Press.

Waters, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, would face a trial in the fall unless she negotiates a settlement. The specific charges against Waters were not made public in the announcement Monday from the House ethics committee.

Full story from the Times Washington Bureau: Ethics panel files formal case against Rep. Maxine Waters

Capitalizing on Clout: A Times Investigation

Husband, daughter and son of Waters have business links to people she has aided

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters family members have made more than $1 million in the last eight years by doing business with companies, candidates and causes that the influential congresswoman has helped. In varied ways, they have capitalized on clout she accumulated in a 28-year career as an elected official who built her power base among African Americans in South Los Angeles into a national platform.

Read the full 2004 investigation here.

Photo: A House investigative panel has charged California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters with violating ethics rules. Credit: Associated Press