Now I will turn to the other major issue in the Waters case, which relates to Outside Counsel findings that (1) Representative Waters properly recused herself and her office from the OneUnited matter following the September 9, 2008 meeting, and (2) Mikael Moore, her chief of staff (and grandson), violated her instructions and improperly remained [...]
Archive of posts filed under the Ethics category.
The Waters Outside Counsel and the September 9, 2008 Treasury Meeting (Part 2)
Now let us turn to one of the two key issues in the Waters ethics case: whether Representative Waters violated any ethics rules when she called Treasury Secretary Paulson to arrange the September 9 meeting. Outside Counsel’s ability to analyze this question is compromised by its unwillingness to confront the reality of what happened at [...]
The Waters Outside Counsel and the September 9, 2008 Treasury Meeting
To begin unpacking the report of Outside Counsel Billy Martin on the matter of Representative Maxine Waters, I will start with the meeting that took place on September 9, 2008 at the Treasury Department. This meeting is key to understanding the events that took place, and the evidence is very clear as to what transpired. [...]
The Notebook- House Ethics Committee Edition
Fans of the Maxine Waters ethics case (you know who you are) may recall that one of the controversies between Blake Chisam, the former Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the Ethics Committee, and the two senior counsel leading the Waters investigation (Morgan Kim and Stacy Sovereign), involved the binders that were handed out to [...]
Unclear and Not All that Convincing
The long-running ethics investigation of Representative Maxine Waters neared an end today with a public hearing before the “Waters Committee” (a special version of the Ethics Committee set up specifically for the Waters matter). Chairman Goodlatte announced that the committee had received the report and recommendations of Outside Counsel Billy Martin, who advised that there [...]
Ethical Dilemma
Friday’s letter from the House Ethics Committee indicates that Billy Martin was asked “to review allegations that this Committee violated due process rights or rules attaching to Representative Waters.” Martin was also asked “to address whether recusal of any Members of the Committee should be considered and when would be the most appropriate time for [...]
Who Was the Mystery Witness Invoking the Fifth Before the House Ethics Committee?
According to a letter sent today by the House Ethics Committee to the Speaker, outside counsel Billy Martin has spent a good deal of time reviewing “allegations that this Committee violated due process rights or rules attaching to Representative [Maxine] Waters.” However, Martin has been unable to complete the due process review because one “necessary witness” has [...]
Billy Martin’s Contract Extended
According to the Hill: “Martin was hired in July. Since then he has ‘interviewed numerous witnesses, and conducted extensive legal research regarding the nature of due process rights which attach to Members of Congress appearing before this committee,’ according to the committee.” But not read Point of Order, apparently. Sigh. Tweet
House Ethics Committee and a Breach of Confidentiality
In all the hoopla over the House Ethics Committee’s appointment of an outside counsel and the allegations of impropriety in the Committee’s investigation of Representative Maxine Waters, one serious issue has largely escaped attention. Someone leaked to Politico reporter John Bresnahan “hundreds of pages of confidential Ethics Committee emails, memos and notes” relating to the [...]