Congressional Black Caucus member steers scholarship money to relatives

Controversies continue to dog members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).  First was former Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangle (D-NY).  Next was Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA).  This time the controversy relates to more than $25,000 of  scholarship money from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) to relatives of a member of the CBC and a staffer.  

According to the Dallas Morning Star relatives of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and the children of her aid, Rod Givens, received CBCF scholarship money from 2005 to 2008.  This only came to light when a list of 2009 scholarship recipients was released by the CBCF on Monday.  Relatives of Congressional Black Caucus members and their staffs are ineligible to receive scholarship money from the CBCF. 

Here is CNN's Anderson Cooper interview with Muriel Cooper, a representative of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation: 



This is troubling in so many ways.  At a time when Democrats are facing likelihood of massive losses during the 2010 Mid-Term Elections relating to the stagnating economy and stubbornly high unemployment, ethics issues are adding to the growing list of reasons for returning control of Congress to the Republicans.  During the 2006 Mid-Term Elections, Democrats used the same issue to their advantage as they regained control of both Chambers of Congress for the first time since 1994. 

Then Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi famously stated that Democrats were going to "drain the swamp" of corrupt Republican members.  Will the GOP make the same promise of Democrats?