Remember when scandals and ethics violations were a big deal in Washington? Those were in the days of Republican administrations. Republicans were indicted and some went to jail, including some Republican members of Congress. Democrats promised if they returned to power things would be different.

California Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters set up a meeting with bankers last year even though her family had financial ties to a bank whose chief executive asked them for up to $50 million in special bailout funds. The bank is OneUnited, one of the nation’s largest black-owned banks. Waters’ husband served on the bank’s board until early last year and has owned at least $250,000 of its stock.

Anyone see a conflict here? Think the House Ethics Committee will investigate? Of course they won’t.

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Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.