Rep. Maxine Waters on Friday defended her efforts to help minority-owned banks — including one with ties to her husband — scoffing at the notion that she, a liberal Democrat, could influence the Bush administration in deciding what financial institutions would receive bailout funds.

“Although both my supporters and detractors often refer to me as influential, the truth is that I had no influence on what Bush administration officials in the Treasury Department or other departments did,” Waters said in a written statement.

Waters (D-Los Angeles), an outspoken legislator who has held elective office in Sacramento or Washington for more than three decades, said her efforts were consistent with her longtime work to promote opportunity for minority-owned businesses and lending in underserved communities, such as her South Central Los Angeles district.

Waters, a senior member of the congressional committee that oversees banking, has come under scrutiny after OneUnited Bank received $12 million in bailout funds. Waters’ husband, Sidney Williams, served on OneUnited’s board and held stock in the bank. The bailout money was provided in December, three months after Waters helped arrange a meeting between officials from the bank and other minority-owned institutions and Treasury representatives.

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