Posted on 03/11/2011 5:23:33 PM PST by jazusamo
A letter of resignation sent by a former staffer to Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Cali.) appears to indicate that ethics investigators are probing the Los Angeles-area Congresswoman -- a fact Richardson has denied to local reporters.
In a copy of the letter obtained by POLITICO, the congresswoman's former district scheduler, Maria Macias, reveals that she was interviewed under oath by ethics investigators, alluding to possible ethics and workplace rules violations.
"The office does not comment on confidential personnel matters," Richardson spokesman Ray Zaccaro told POLITICO, who also declined to reveal the subject of the investigation, which is confidential under Congressional rules.
The letter describes a "toxic" work environment in Richardson's Long Beach office, and suggests that investigators may be probing government staffers' use for inappropriate purposes.
"[O]n more than one occasion I was asked to do a task or coordinate an event that was on the ethical borderline and not in my job description; things that I was never properly trained on or warned about, and later caused me to be deposed by an ethics investigator with a lawyer present," wrote Macias, who until last week was a part-time scheduler with Richardson's office. Macias did not respond to multiple request for comment.
"I cannot work in a toxic and hostile environment like this, which is why I resign today," concluded Macias, who is on her second stint on Richardson's staff, and also complained of a " disrespectful way of talking to staff, the lack of regard for family time or personal time off for staff, and the thankless, unappreciative attitude that staff are met with no matter how hard we work.
A Los Angeles community newspaper reported last fall that the House Ethics committee had opened an investigation into charges as to whether Richardson had forced staffers to volunteer for her campaign under threat of termination, among other charges. Richardson strongly denied the allegations, but did confirm that ethics committee staff had "interviewed" her staff.
This is not the first time that Rep. Richardson has faced ethics questions in her short tenure in Congress. The ethics committee investigated her in 2009 on charges revolving around her foreclosed Sacramento home. Richardson was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
Richardson, former Long Beach city councilor and state legislator, was first elected to Congress in a 2007 special election following the death of Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald. She emerged from an 11-way Democratic primary campaign to win the general election. She was re-elected in 2010 with more than 68 percent of the vote.
Congressional Black Caucus
Payoff, silence, and life of financial contentment.
Hostile work environment my a$$.
Another stellar member of the Congressional Black Caucus, along with Maxine Waters, Cynthia McKinney, William Jefferson, Charlie Rangel, Sheila Jackson Lee, et al, who bring corruption up to an entirely new level.
Yep, a lot of CBC members do seem to have ethics problems. :-)
Her defense was of the "you obviously don't know who I am" variety.
I’m sure she’s the one in the same.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.