The House ethics committee on Monday announced it has found Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., in violation of the rules of the House. The panel did not release the details of the violations, but most believe the charges relate to the 71-year-old lawmaker's efforts to secure federal bailout funds for a bank tied to her husband. Waters has said she plans to fight the charges, which means the panel would have to hold a public hearing, much like a trial, to determine whether she is guilty of any violations. Waters is the second Democrat in as many weeks to call for an ethics trial. Last week, an special House panel convened to outline 13 charges against Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., relating to unpaid taxes and using his office and power as a lawmaker to help big companies with tax legislation in exchange for large donations to a school named after him.

Waters is being investigated for her role in arranging meetings between Treasury Department officials and representatives of minority-owned banks, including OneUnited Bank. Waters' husband, Sidney Williams, formerly served on the board of directors of OneUnited and continues to own stock in the company. OneUnited got $12.1 million in TARP funds after meetings that Waters helped to arrange, and Treasury officials have alleged that they never knew of her personal ties to the bank.

The ethics committee Monday released an 80-page report on Waters produced last year by the Office of Congressional Ethics, the quasi-independent body charged with vetting allegations of wrongdoing against members.