[WAPO] A longtime Democratic congresswoman from Florida was indicted Friday on charges she and her chief of staff allegedly set up a fake nonprofit they used as their "personal slush fund."
| It's like the Clinton Foundation but on a smaller scale and without the protection... |
The 24-count indictment is a stunning piece of news, though not wholly unexpected -- she was mysteriously served a subpoena in January while eating at a Jacksonville barbecue restaurant, there was already a federal investigation into the nonprofit in question, and the House Ethics Committee had set up an investigation related to her campaign finance and commercial dealings as well.
Neither Brown nor her staff has commented on the charges. She is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
Brown exhibited no intent to defraud. I blame her staff.
The indictment could shake up her reelection campaign, where she's in one of the toughest primary fights of her two-decade political career in a newly redrawn district. Here's what we know so far:
First, a little about Corrine Brown: She's been in public service since the 1980s, first serving in the Florida state legislature and then coming to Congress in 1993. She currently represents the Jacksonville area and is one of the first three African Americans to represent the state in Congress since Reconstruction, according to the Associated Press. |