Maxine Waters held a press conference in Washington this morning to issue a full-throated response to the ethics charges against her.

Waters is accused of arranging a meeting between Treasury Department officials and representatives of OneUnited Bank, in which her husband owned stock.

This morning, Waters said the scandal was not that she arranged the meeting, but rather that she even had to.

In her view, the National Bankers Association — which represents over 100 minority-owned banks — should have been able to get a meeting at Treasury without her assistance.

Waters also addressed the timing of her ethics trial. She wants it to be held before the election, but she noted that the Congressional schedule may be too busy to accommodate that.

Waters clearly believes she did nothing wrong and is eager for a speedy vindication. But it's hard to see why any of her fellow Democrats would be eager to have Waters go on trial at the height of the fall campaign season.

Waters, of course, is a local legend and is in zero danger of losing her seat. But the same cannot be said for Democrats in swing districts across the country.

Via Politico, here's video of Waters' presentation:

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.