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History Lessons With Dick Armey: Tea Parties Predate Obama, Clarence Thomas Was 'Lynched'

Megan Carpentier | October 2, 2010, 3:00PM

Dick Armey, FreedomWorks chairman

Speaking to a largely unfriendly -- and often openly hostile -- audience at The New Yorker Festival's Tea Party panel on Saturday morning, former House Majority Leader and current FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey attempted to explain to those in attendance the true origins of the tea party and why so many people seem to be so angry right now. And, despite sharing the stage with Harvard history professor and author Jill Lepore, CNBC's Rick Santelli and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), he openly attempted to rewrite more than a little history to fit his preferred narrative.

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Topics: Americans For Prosperity, Anita Hill, Anthony Weiner, Clarence Thomas, Dick Armey, FreedomWorks, HAMP, J.C. Watts, Koch Industries, Rick Santelli, TARP , Taxes, Tea Parties, Teabaggers

Maxine Waters

More Details Emerge In Waters Ethics Investigation

Megan Carpentier | August 9, 2010, 2:34PM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

At the heart of the ethics investigation into Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) -- which today yielded a Statement of Alleged Violation against Waters -- is her connection to the California-based bank OneUnited and its receipt of TARP funding in 2008. A new investigation by students at American University details the timing of those transactions, and calls into question some of the assumptions at the heart of the investigation.

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Topics: California, Democrats, Ethics, House Ethics Committee, Maxine Waters, OneUnited, TARP

Maxine Waters

House Ethics Announces Three Charges Against Waters

Rachel Slajda | August 9, 2010, 12:20PM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

The House ethics committee today announced the specific charges against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), accusing her of improperly using her office to help a bank in which her husband owned stock.

The list of charges, called a statement of alleged violation, details three rules Waters allegedly broke: one, that members must "reflect creditably on the House;" two, that members may not "receive compensation" by improperly using their Congressional influence; and three, that members should never "dispense special favors" or "accept for himself or his family favors or benefits."

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Topics: California, Democrats, Ethics, House Ethics Committee, Maxine Waters, TARP

House Ethics Committee

Reports: Rep. Waters Will Also Face Ethics Trial

Rachel Slajda | August 2, 2010, 10:35AM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has reportedly decided to fight the ethics charges against her, becoming the second Congress member in a week to push for a public ethics trial rather than accept charges of wrongdoing.

Days after the ethics committee announced that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) would face an adjudicatory hearing, it was reported that Waters will also be the subject of a similar ethics hearing.

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Topics: Charles Rangel, Ethics, House Ethics Committee, Maxine Waters, TARP

Bailout

Bailout: Best Program Evaaah?

Zachary Roth | May 11, 2010, 9:26AM

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson

As unpopular government initiatives go, the financial bailout would seem to rank somewhere up there between Prohibition and the Stamp Act.

In the political sphere -- and not just in far-right circles -- it's something close to a consensus view that the bailout was a corrupt giveaway of taxpayers dollars to Wall Street that will leave us deep in the red for decades. As Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) put it after TARP passed: "Only two things are certain: the bill will provide hundreds of billions of dollars to investors who made bad decisions and Wall Street executives; and our children and grandchildren will now face a national debt that is hundreds of billions of dollars higher." Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) was just ousted by state Republicans, who cited his vote for the TARP and derisively nicknamed him "Bailout Bob." And Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has taken to claiming, implausibly, that he only supported the bailout because he was misled about the fact that it was targeted at the financial sector (seriously).

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Topics: Bailout, Bob Bennett, Federal Reserve, Financial Crisis, Financial Reform, John McCain, TARP , Tim Geithner, Treasury Department, Wall Street

Bailout Bailed Out

Obama Admin Grants Mega Tax Break To Citi In Bailout Deal

Justin Elliott | December 16, 2009, 2:35PM

Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit and Barack Obama

Did the Obama Administration just deliver a $38 billion stealth bailout to Citigroup?

According to several outside experts the answer is yes, but the Treasury is maintaining an IRS ruling that granted Citi a $38 billion tax break was routine and proper. The Washington Post first reported the news of the IRS ruling in a front-page story today.

The IRS decision came as part of a deal for Citi to pay back $20 billion, which was announced earlier this week amid mutual back-patting. One benefit for Citi is being freed from salary restrictions.

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Topics: Bailout Bailed Out, Citigroup, IRS, Obama Administration, TARP , Vikram Pandit

Maxine Waters

Ethics Probe In Bailout Case Begins: What Is Maxine Waters Accused Of?

Justin Elliott | October 30, 2009, 4:44PM

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Yesterday, the House ethics committee announced it is forming a special subcommittee to investigate Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) in a case involving the bailout and a bank in which her husband had a stake.

This is separate from the leaked ethics document, and the committee is taking it more seriously than many of the already-dismissed cases outlined in that document. So what is Waters, a ten-term representative and the second ranking Dem on the House Financial Services Committee, accused of?