Ethics

Ethics Showdown Brewing Over Suspended Attorneys

Susan Crabtree | March 8, 2011, 7:28PM

A showdown is brewing between House Republicans and Democrats on the Ethics Committee over whether to reinstate two attorneys accused of bungling the case against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) three months ago.

The two lawyers, Morgan Kim and Stacy Sovereign, were still on the House payroll as of Jan. 31, as TPM reported in late February, and committee rules require the panel to approve all the staffers at the beginning of each Congress. A source spotted Kim in the Capitol complex Tuesday, adding to the intrigue.

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Topics: Blake Chisam, Cindy Morgan Kim, Ethics, Ethics Panel, House Ethics Committee, Jo Bonner, Linda Sanchez, Maxine Waters, Stacy Sovereign

House Ethics Committee

Direction Of Ethics Committee Unclear As GOP Takes Over House

Ryan J. Reilly | January 21, 2011, 2:50PM

Two months after House Ethics Committee lawyers Morgan Kim and Stacey Sovereign were suspended by former Chief Counsel Blake Chisam, their future in the office is still unclear.

It's also uncertain if newly appointed Ethics Committee Chairman Jo Bonner (R-AL) will be successful in his push to relaunch the investigation into alleged ethics violations by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).

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Topics: Blake Chisam, Cindy Morgan Kim, House Ethics Committee, Jo Bonner, Maxine Waters, Morgan Kim, Stacy Sovereign, Zoe Lofgren

House Ethics Committee

Waters Won't Push For Vote On Ethics Committee Investigation

Rachel Slajda | December 9, 2010, 2:00PM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) announced on the House floor today that she will not push for a vote on her proposal to create a bipartisan task force to investigate the House ethics committee.

"Upon the advice of my colleagues whom I trust and admire, I am not pushing for a vote on this resolution today," she said this afternoon, according to her prepared remarks. "In doing so, however, I am requesting that the Committee set the record straight, on its own accord, in a bipartisan manner, with a joint statement signed by the Chair and Ranking Member, ... [the] circumstances of the events that led to the discipline of the two attorneys leading the case against me."

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Topics: Cindy Morgan Kim, Ethics, House Ethics Committee, Maxine Waters, Stacy Sovereign

Maxine Waters

Waters Takes To Floor To Call For Investigation Of Ethics Lawyers (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | December 8, 2010, 11:25AM

Rep. Maxine Waters (R-CA) introduced legislation on the floor of the House last night that would require the Speaker to "appoint a bipartisan task force to investigate the circumstances and cause of the decision to place professional staff of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct on indefinite administrative leave."

Waters, who is under investigation for alleged ethics violations, wants to know why the ethics committee suspended two lawyers -- Morgan Kim and Stacy Sovereign -- who were working on her case.

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Topics: Cindy Morgan Kim, Ethics, Ethics Panel, Maxine Waters, Morgan Kim, Stacy Sovereign

Maxine Waters

Waters Demands A Report On Suspension Of Ethics Aides During Lame Duck

Ryan J. Reilly | December 7, 2010, 11:32AM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), under investigation for alleged violations of House ethics rules, is demanding an investigation into two suspended House ethics committee aides, Roll Call reported.

Waters will introduce a privileged resolution today that would create a bipartisan task force to conduct the probe into the suspension of the two lawyers, her office confirmed to the newspaper.

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Topics: Cindy Morgan Kim, House Ethics Committee, Maxine Waters, Stacy Sovereign

Maxine Waters

Waters Has Plenty Of Questions On Suspension Of Ethics Lawyers

Ryan J. Reilly | December 1, 2010, 6:03PM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) doesn't know why two of the ethics committee lawyers who had been working on the ethics case against her were placed on administrative leave. But she does know that something "has gone wrong in the ethics process." And she's got plenty of questions.

Waters said in a statement late Wednesday that the House ethics committee has yet to inform her directly that two of the lawyers working on the ethics case against her had been suspended. She said the "integrity of the Committee and its investigative process have been compromised" and called on the panel to clarify why the disciplinary action had been taken.

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Topics: Cindy Morgan Kim, Ethics, Ethics Panel, Maxine Waters, Morgan Kim, Stacy Sovereign

Maxine Waters

Two House Ethics Lawyers Involved With Waters Case Suspended

Ryan J. Reilly | December 1, 2010, 11:40AM

Two lawyers from the House ethics committee, including the chief prosecutor working on the case against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), were suspended last month on the same day the panel announced an indefinite delay in Waters' public trial.

Cindy Morgan Kim and Stacy Sovereign were placed on administrative leave on Nov. 19 -- the same day that the panel announced an indefinite delay of Waters trial. The suspensions were first reported by Politico.

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Topics: Blake Chisam, Cindy Morgan Kim, Ethics, Ethics Panel, Maxine Waters, Stacy Sovereign