Wednesday, September 29, 2010

FrederickDouglass Foundation Urges Completion of Ethics Trials Before November Election



WASHINGTON, DC - Timothy F.Johnson, Chairman and Founder of the Frederick Douglass Foundation, today joined other leaders within FDF as well as House Republicans to call upon the House Ethics Committee to schedule trial dates for the ethics hearings of Democrats Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangel before the general election this November.

"I can't understand why there is a delay in scheduling hearings for Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters," Timothy Johnson said. "It's in the best interest of the committee to complete their work and give a verdict to the American people whose votes will depend upon the result."

Both Rangel and Waters declined to accept potential punishment that ethics investigators wanted to mete out back in July. Instead, the duo opted for separate trials in an effort to clear thei rnames.

Rangel faces 13 charges, which include using House stationery to solicit funds for the Charles B. Rangel Center at City College of New York, failing to disclose $600,000 in personal assets, using a rent-stabilized apartment for campaign activities and failing to pay taxes on income from a vacation property in the Dominican Republic.

The Ethics Committee accuses Waters of using her position to help a bank secure federal assistance when it was struggling. Her husband holds stock in the bank and once was a member of the bank's board.

"If Waters and Rangel are truly innocent, they should want to clear their good names as soon as possible before their upcoming election, instead of delaying the inevitable. It is a disservice to the voters of their district who may be basing their votes on the outcomes of their trials. I join with other Republican members of the House Ethics Committee and call upon Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren to schedule these hearings and complete them in a timely manner."




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