Maxine Waters denies wrongdoing

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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., denied any wrongdoing Friday in her dealings with a bank where her husband is an investor.

Waters told ABC News she plans to fight ethics charges brought against her by her colleagues. Her appearance on "Good Morning America" was her first since the House ethics committee released its findings.

The committee said Waters helped OneUnited get $12 million from the Troubled Assets Relief Program. Her husband had invested $175,000 in the bank, and would have lost the entire amount if the bank collapsed.

Waters told ABC the decision was made by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Treasury Department. Both agencies have said they acted independently, she added.

"Nobody called them. Nobody wrote to them. Nobody did anything that interfered with their decision-making," she said.

"OneUnited was vetted properly, they met the criteria, and they received TARP funding."

Waters said she will not settle the ethics case but instead will defend herself.