Trump scolds House GOP for gutting ethics office

President-elect Trump Tuesday criticized House Republicans for moving to gut the independent Office of Congressional Ethics in a closed-door vote Monday night, saying their attention should be focused elsewhere and hinting they had violated the spirit of his campaign slogan, "drain the swamp." "With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it may be, their number one act and priority," the incoming Republican president wrote in a pair of tweets.

House GOP guts ethics office, starts on conservative agenda

House Republicans voted to rein in the power of the independent ethics office that was initiated in 2008 after Congress members went to jail for corruption. The decision to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics was made on late Monday, without any notice or debate on the subject.

Darrell Delamaide’s Political Capital: Trump will play Congress like a fiddle

The full scope of Hillary Clinton's loss and Donald Trump's victory will become apparent this week as the newly elected Congress convenes. We all know the Republicans swept the elections, winning the White House and retaining control of both houses of Congress.

Trump nominates Robert Lighthizer for trade representative – Tue, 03 Jan 2017 PST

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Robert Lighthizer to be his pick for U.S. trade representative, his transition team announced Tuesday. Lighthizer "has extensive experience striking agreements that protect some of the most important sectors of our economy, and has repeatedly fought in the private sector to prevent bad deals from hurting Americans," Trump said in a statement.

The Congressman Who Helped Gut the Ethics Office Was Once Sued for Sexual Harassment

On Monday, news broke that House Republicans voted privately to gut an independent ethics office that was established to hold members accountable for things like bribery, fraud, and conflicts of interest. They approved a measure that would put the Office of Congressional Ethics - a six-person board of private citizens - under the control of the House Ethics Committee, which is made up of sitting members of the House of Representatives.

Top StoryHouse GOP votes to gut independent ethics office

House Republicans have voted to eviscerate the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent body created in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct by lawmakers after several bribery and corruption scandals sent members to prison. The ethics change, which prompted an outcry from Democrats and government watchdog groups, is part of a rules package that the full House will vote on Tuesday.

House Republicans move to strip Congressional Ethics Office’s independence

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Paul Ryan expected to be re-elected as House speaker Tuesday

Paul Ryan is expected to be easily re-elected Tuesday as speaker of the House, kicking off the new Congress and marking a quiet end following a year that saw both parties questioning their congressional leadership. Ryan was re-elected by the House Republican conference in November to serve a second term as speaker of the House.

Democratic dilemma: How hard to fight

Democrats plotting a return from the political wilderness are facing their first big dilemma: how fiercely to fight President-elect Donald Trump. A new conservative era will dawn in Washington Tuesday when the next Congress, dominated by Republicans, is sworn in.

US House Republicans vote to rein in ethics office

Washington, Jan 3 - US House Republicans, overriding their top leaders, voted to rein in an independent ethics office set up in 2008 in the wake of a series of embarrassing congressional scandals, the media reported. The move to effectively kill the Office of Congressional Ethics was not made public until late Monday, when Representative Robert W. Goodlatte, Republican of Virginia and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, announced that the House Republican Conference had approved the change.

Republicans move to rein in independent House ethics board

In a surprise move, Republicans in the U.S. House endorsed a plan that would curtail the operations of an independent, outside ethics panel, placing it under the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee, barring it from releasing information about ethics investigations of lawmakers, and re-naming it with a somewhat bland title of the "Office of Congressional Complaint Review." "The OCE has a serious and important role in the House, and this amendment does nothing to impede their work," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte , who spearheaded the late changes to the House ethics process, arguing that complaints from lawmakers about its operation needed to be addressed.

Finance, energy industry helped finance GOP takeover –

Republicans will take over the Kentucky legislature next week with the help of millions of dollars in contributions from the finance and energy industries. Republican House candidates and committees received more than $8 million in contributions for the 2016 election cycle, according to an analysis of disclosure reports by The Associated Press.

Zoeller leaves to improve addiction crisis

In one of his last acts as governor, Vice President-elect Mike Pence bestowed the honorary title of Sagamore of the Wabash to Attorney General Greg Zoeller for his eight years as Indiana's chief legal officer. It may have been as fitting for Zoeller to have been honored for his role as a public health advocate.

U.S. House Republicans vote to gut independent ethics office against wishes of top GOP leaders

House Republicans on Monday voted to eviscerate the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent body created in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct by lawmakers after several bribery and corruption scandals sent members to prison. The ethics change, which prompted an outcry from Democrats and government watchdog groups, is part of a rules package that the full House will vote on Tuesday.

House GOP guts ethics panel

House Republicans voted Monday night in favor of a proposal that would weaken Congress' outside ethics watchdog and remove its independence. Republican Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte's proposal would place the independent Office of Congressional Ethics -- an initial watchdog for House members but without power to punish members -- under oversight of those very lawmakers.