Rep. Alcee Hastings would have been at the top of my guess list for scandals. So I'm not too surprised.
He is the only Federal judge to be impeached by the Senate before going on to serve in Congress. That's quite a distinction. A terrible one.
Subsequently, suspicions arose that Hastings had lied and falsified evidence during the trial in order to obtain an acquittal. A special committee of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals began a new probe into the Hastings case. The resulting three-year investigation ended with the panel concluding that Hastings did indeed commit perjury, tamper with evidence, and conspire to gain financially by accepting bribes. The panel recommended further action to the U.S. Judicial Conference, which, in turn, informed the House of Representatives on March 17, 1987, that Judge Alcee Hastings should be impeached and removed from office.
On August 3, 1988, following an investigation by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, the House of Representatives voted 413 to 3 to adopt H. Res. 499, approving 17 articles of impeachment against Hastings, the greatest number of articles in any impeachment proceeding to date. Charges included conspiracy, bribery, perjury, falsifying documents, thwarting a criminal investigation, and undermining the public confidence "in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary."
3 years later, Carter's judge was in Congress. And paying his girlfriend's salary with taxpayer money.
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D., Fla.) continues to pay his longtime girlfriend the maximum congressional salary of $168,411, and has paid her nearly $2.4 million in salary since 2000.
Hastings also employs his girlfriend's daughter and the wife of a former staffer who was previously convicted of money laundering.
Patricia Williams, the longtime girlfriend who served as co-counsel during Hastings' impeachment trial as a federal judge in the 1980s
So you'll never guess who had a $220K sexual harassment settlement.
The Treasury Department paid $220,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a former congressional staffer alleging sexual harassment by Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., it was reported Friday.
According to Roll Call, which cited documents related to the case, Winsome Packer alleged that Hastings touched her inappropriately and made unwanted sexual advances. On one occasion, Packer said Hastings asked her what kind of underwear she was wearing.
Roll Call reported that Packer sued Hastings and the CSCE in 2011 under a federal statute that allows individuals to seek damages from federal officials for civil rights violations. Hastings' name was dropped from the lawsuit the following year after he argued that the statute did not apply to members of Congress.
The CBC was starting to scream racism with Conyers. They'll be screaming it twice as loud with Hastings. Especially since quite a few male CBC members are likely to have their names on the settlement list. And so intersectionality will get a workout.
But this clip still sums up Hastings and his party.