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Eugene

(62,674 posts)
Tue Jan 3, 2017, 05:11 AM Jan 2017

Outcry after Republicans vote to dismantle independent ethics body

Source: The Guardian

Outcry after Republicans vote to dismantle independent ethics body

Office of Congressional Ethics was created in 2008 to investigate
allegations of misconduct by lawmakers


Julian Borger in Washington
Tuesday 3 January 2017 03.46 GMT

House Republicans have gutted an independent ethics watchdog, putting it under their own control, in a secret ballot hours before the new Congress convened for the first time.

The unheralded vote severely weakens the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), which was set up after a lobbying scandal in 2008 to investigate corruption allegations against members of Congress. The move, led by the head of the House judiciary committee, defied the Republican congressional leadership and was reportedly supported by several legislators currently under OCE scrutiny.

The amendment was voted through by the House Republican conference over the New Year’s holiday with no prior notice or debate and inserted in a broad rules package the House will vote for on Tuesday. It turns the formerly independent OCE into the Office of Congressional Complaint Review, a subordinate body to the House Ethics Committee, which is currently run by the Republican majority and has a long history of overlooking charges of malfeasance by lawmakers.

The new body will not be able to receive anonymous tips from members of Congress or make its findings public.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/03/outcry-after-republicans-vote-to-dismantle-independent-ethics-body

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LBN thread: House Republicans vote to rein in independent ethics office
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Outcry after Republicans vote to dismantle independent ethics body (Original Post) Eugene Jan 2017 OP
But people in the DNC wrote some emails and said stuff. joshcryer Jan 2017 #1
WE ARE THE SWAMP bucolic_frolic Jan 2017 #2
GOP is putting a plug in the swamp Seedersandleechers Jan 2017 #4
Got to protect their power. lark Jan 2017 #3

lark

(24,187 posts)
3. Got to protect their power.
Tue Jan 3, 2017, 07:58 AM
Jan 2017

They know drumpf is culpable of many crimes and want to make sure he stays in office.

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