House GOP votes to gut independent ethics panel
On Monday, House Republicans voted behind closed doors, 119-74, to curb the power of an independent ethics office established nearly a decade ago in the aftermath of a lobbying scandal.
Should the House rules package be adopted on Tuesday, as expected, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) will be renamed the Office of Congressional Complaint Review, and it will be placed under the oversight of the House Ethics Committee, The Washington Post reports. Currently, if the Ethics Committee chooses to not take further action against a member, the OCE is still allowed to release public reports of its findings. The new regime will also end the OCE's power to investigate anonymous complaints and strips it of a spokesperson, but the amendment's sponsor, Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), said it "builds upon and strengthens" the office and improves due process rights for House members under investigation. In 2008, when Democrats controlled the House, the OCE was created in the wake of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal to conduct ethics investigations without political influence; while the Ethics Committee is made up of members of Congress, the OCE is run by an independent six-member board.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) opposed the amendment and spoke out against it during the conference meeting, two people in the room told the Post, and several other Republicans fear that reining in the office sends a bad message as the GOP assumes control of the White House as well as Congress. "Threatening its independence is a disservice to the American people who need a nonpartisan body to investigate the ethical failures of their representatives," Jordan Libowitz, spokesman for Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, told the Post. "The fact they do not want an office with 'Congressional Ethics' in the name is a pretty good metaphor for how ethics scandals will be dealt with if this rule passes."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published