August 2, 2010 - Arent Fox counsel Brett Kappel was quoted in American Banker commenting on the potential ramifications of the congressional ethics investigation of Rep. Maxine Waters.

‘Regardless of whether the allegations of unethical conduct aimed at Rep. Maxine Waters and other members of the House Financial Services Committee hold up, there could be a chilling effect on relations between banks and members of Congress. Waters was charged late Monday with impropriety by a House ethics panel after she allegedly helped a minority bank in which her husband had invested to get funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program. … Brett Kappel, a lawyer who specializes in lobbying and ethics law at Arent Fox LLP, said he already sees more skittishness from bankers. "It certainly seems that the financial institutions themselves are more wary about being portrayed as influencing legislation through campaign contributions, and we've seen all of the PACs from these institutions have severely cut back this year as opposed to the last election cycle," he said. … Kappel said the worst punishment would be to her reputation."That's always the case," he said. "The process is the punishment. It could be, and it has been, damaging to people's political careers."’