www.cagop.org

The “Two Buddies,  Partners” Recently Appeared Together

SACRAMENTO — U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer has stayed mum on ethics charges brought against her longtime friend and ally Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, despite recently touting their closeness.  The House Ethics Committee today announced that, having been under investigation since 2009, Waters is headed to a public trial on charges of ethics violations.

The two collegues appeared together a mere two weeks ago at an event in Inglewood, CA where Boxer detailed their close friendship: “When she came to the House, I went over to the Senate and we became buddies, partners. We call each other when there are tough issues. We help each other out.”

They have a long history of campaigning together and are strong legislative allies.  Boxer has also contributed Waters’ congressional campaigns and paid thousands to Waters’ daughter for a spot on Waters’ slate mailer.

“There is a long history of support and admiration between Rep. Maxine Waters and Sen. Barbara Boxer,” said Crystal Feldman, press secretary for the California Republican Party. “Boxer has donated to Waters’ campaigns, paid thousands to Waters’ family members for campaign activities, and the two career politicians have stuck together as ‘partners’ in Washington for years.  Now that Waters is facing serious and troubling ethics charges related to improper benefits bestowed upon her family at the taxpayers’ expense, voters deserve to know whether Boxer will support her ‘buddy’ or the interests of all California taxpayers.”

BOXER & WATERS BACKGROUNDER

Boxer Has Appeared At Numerous Events With Embattled Rep. Maxine Waters:

In July 2010, Waters Joined Boxer For An Event, Where Boxer Touted Their Close Relationship: “When she came to the House, I went over to the Senate and we became buddies, partners. We call each other when there are tough issues. We help each other out.” (Sen. Barbara Boxer, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Inglewood, CA, 7/24/10)

• At The Same Event, Boxer Equated Military Service With Her Shared Experiences In Congress With Waters. BOXER: “You know when you’ve got through similar things you need to share it. I don’t care whether you are a policeman or a fireman or a veteran or by chance a member of Congress. Maxine and I could look at each other and roll our eyes. We know what we are up against. And it is hard for people who are not there to understand the pressure and the great things that go along with it and the tough things that go along with it.” (Sen. Barbara Boxer, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Inglewood, CA, 7/24/10)

Waters Was A Prominent Endorser Of Boxer In Her Previous Re-Election Campaigns. “Some of the leaders supporting Senator Boxer are Congressmembers Barbara Lee, Juanita Millender-McDonald, Maxine Watson and Diane Watson. Among state legislators Senators Kevin Murray and Edward Vince, along with Assembly members Mervyn Dymally, Jerome Horton, Mark Ridley-Thomas and Herb Wesson have given their support to the Senator for reelection.” (“Blacks Show Support For Sen. Boxer,” Sacramento Observer, 5/19/04)

• Waters: “Barbara Boxer is the leader in supporting afterschool programs for our children, providing them with a safe and enriching place to go. I support her reelection efforts. California needs Senator Boxer to continue fighting for the services our children and communities need.” (“Blacks Show Support For Sen. Boxer,” Sacramento Observer, 5/19/04)

Boxer And Waters Have Campaigned Together For Other Democrat Politicians. “Angelides later appeared at a rally in Van Nuys with Boxer, Lee and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, among other Democratic leaders.” (Kevin Yamamura, “Candidates Count On Help From Friends,” Sacramento Bee, 6/5/06)

• Boxer And Waters Have Appeared Together At Fundraisers For Democrats. “At a Women for Gore 2000 fund-raiser, they strode onto a stage to the strains of ‘Don’t You Love Her Madly?’ which was nearly drowned out by applause. They drew standing ovations and hugged when Mrs. Clinton introduced the woman who hopes to succeed her in the White House. They basked in political plugs from California first lady Sharon Davis, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters.” (Scott Lindlaw, “Mrs. Clinton, Mrs. Gore On Their Own,” The Associated Press, 6/12/99)

Boxer And Waters Served Together As Co-Chairs Of A DNC Local Election Program. “The DNC created the first ever National Precinct Leadership program — co-chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer, Congress- woman Maxine Waters, and Mayor Dennis Archer, the program recruited over 30,000 local leaders to conduct and organize efforts in targeted precincts.” (Democratic National Committee, “Don Fowler Memo On Campaign Finance Reform And 1996 Democratic Successes,” Press Release, 12/5/96)

Boxer Paid Thousands Of Dollars To Waters’ Daughter For A Spot On Waters’ Slate Mailer:

In 2004, Boxer Paid $25,000 To Secure A Spot On Waters’ Slate Mailer That Is Run By Her Daughter. “In last November’s election, Waters’ congressional campaign committee handled the slate-mailer operation under tighter fund-raising restrictions. Yet most candidates and initiative campaigns still paid more than $ 85,000 to get on it, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. Senator Barbara Boxer’s campaign was the most generous, paying $ 25,000 to the Waters committee. Forget about soft-money limits — Waters won an advisory ruling last year from the FEC that deemed payments to her committee for the mailer as reimbursements for expenses, not donations.” (Art Levine, “The DeLay Wannabes,” The American Prospect, 6/05)

• “Daughter Karen Waters Has Charged Candidates For Spots On Her Mother’s ‘Slate Mailer,’ A Sample Ballot That Many Voters In South Los Angeles Use To Guide Their Choices.” (Chuck Neubauer and Ted Rohrlich, “Capitalizing On A Politician’s Clout,” Los Angeles Times, 12/19/04)

Karen Waters’ Mailer Has Brought In More Than $1 Million From Democrat Politicians, Including Former Gov. Gray Davis And Al Checchi. “Karen Waters’ L.A. Vote mailer is considered one of the most influential because of the value of her mother’s endorsement, especially in south Los Angeles. The mailer has brought in more than $ 1.7 million during the past eight years, according to the Los Angeles Times. Well-known politicians, such as former Governor Gray Davis, have paid tens of thousands of dollars to appear on L.A. Vote, while multimillionaire and political novice Al Checchi paid it $ 171,000 in his failed 1998 race for governor.” (Art Levine, “The DeLay Wannabes,” The American Prospect, 6/05)

When Asked About The Slate Mailer, Karen Waters Claimed That Maxine Waters Was Merely One Of Her Many Clients. “Karen Waters, 46, spoke only briefly, saying that she does public relations work for politicians and causes, that ‘Maxine Waters is one of my clients’ and that they keep their business dealings at arm’s length. Edward Waters, 49, declined to be interviewed.” (Chuck Neubauer and Ted Rohrlich, “Capitalizing On A Politician’s Clout,” Los Angeles Times, 12/19/04)

Citizens For Responsibility And Ethics’ Melanie Sloan: “It looks like congresswoman Waters is using her position to financially benefit her family members, and that is at the very least unethical. … You shouldn’t be making money off your mother’s endorsements.” (Chuck Neubauer and Ted Rohrlich, “Capitalizing On A Politician’s Clout,” Los Angeles Times, 12/19/04)

Boxer Has Contributed To Waters’ Congressional Campaigns:

“[Boxer’s] Contributions Support A Range Of Ideologies Within The Democratic Party – From Liberal Rep. Maxine Waters Of Los Angeles To The More Conservative Zell Miller…” (Herbert A. Sample, “Boxer’s Leadership PAC Packing In, Doling Out Donations,” Scripps Howard News Service, 10/26/00)

• In 2000, Boxer’s “PAC For A Change” Leadership PAC Contributed $1,000 To Waters’ Congressional Campaign. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 7/31/10)

Examples Of Joint Legislative Efforts From Waters And Boxer:

In 2010, Boxer Partnered With Waters On Securing Funding For A Computer Resources Project. “I recently joined Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the South Los Angeles WorkSource Center, as Secretary Locke announced a major investment of the federal government in upgrading Los Angeles computer resources.” (Sen. Barbara Boxer, “Senator Boxer: Improving Computer Resources For Los Angeles Residents,” Press Release, 1/13/10)

In 2009, Boxer Partnered With Waters To Fight The Stupak Abortion Amendment To Obama’s Health Care Bill. WATERS: “They certainly are. And, you know, first of all, we’ve got to work very hard. And Barbara Boxer is leading that effort with other women in the Senate, saying to Senator Reid that we cannot have matching Stupak language in the Senate bill; that, you know, we can all live with the Hyde language. We’ve lived with that for years. That’s that language that simply says you can’t spend government money for abortions unless it’s in the case of rape, incest or one other issue. So we can live with that language, but we can’t go beyond that.” (MSNBC’s “The Ed Show,” 11/18/09)

In 2008, Boxer Was The Lead Champion In The Senate Of Waters’ Legislation To Regulate LAX Airplane Noise. “Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) announced the successful passage today of legislation that she and Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) introduced to provide funding for noise mitigation projects at schools in Inglewood and Lennox where students and teachers have complained of disruptive noise from airplanes arriving at and departing from nearby Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). … Congresswoman Waters whose district includes Inglewood and Congresswoman Harman who represents Lennox introduced H.R. 1708 and worked to gain support in the House to pass the legislation. The Senate had passed S. 996, a companion bill championed by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), earlier this year.” (Rep. Maxine Waters, “Congress Passes Waters’ Bill To Reduce Aircraft Noise In Inglewood Schools,” Press Release, 9/17/08)

In 2006, Boxer And Waters Led A Joint Effort To Provide Federal Funding To An Los Angeles County Medical Center. “A broad coalition of community and political leaders including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and others also pushed federal officials to lend financial backing to the plan to refashion King/Drew.” (Susannah Rosenblatt, “County Gets A Break On King/Drew,” Los Angeles Times, 10/31/06)