In a
secret vote held behind closed doors Monday night, House Republicans
voted to cripple the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent body
created in 2008 to rein in corruption and other misconduct by members
of Congress.
The move was spearheaded “by lawmakers who have come under investigation
in recent years,” according to Politico. Among those speaking in favor
of the changes were Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX), who was accused by a
staffer of sexual harassment, and Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), who
allegedly received “an impermissible gift when he and his wife traveled
to Taiwan in October 2011.”
Under
the new rules, the Office of Congressional Ethics would be renamed the
Office of Congressional Complaint Review and, critically, lose its
independence. It would be placed under the auspices of the House Ethics
Committee, which famously has turned a blind eye to wrongdoing by
members of Congress. It became clear that an independent body was
necessary after scandals largely ignored by the the Ethics Committee
sent several members of Congress, including Randy “Duke” Cunningham and
Bob Ney, to jail.
Many of the new restrictions on the body appear designed to make it easier to sweep misconduct under the rug.
The new Office of Congressional Complaint Review cannot make any of its findings public — or make any other public statement — without the approval of the House Ethics Committee.
Even if the Office of Congressional Complaint Review finds evidence of criminal conduct, it cannot report it to the police without prior approval.
The
rules also prohibit the new office from considering anonymous
complaints or investigating any conduct that occurred before 2011.
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi immediately blasted the proposed rules, declaring that “ethics are the first casualty of the new Republican Congress.” Her sentiments were echoed by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
The rules were pushed by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte.
The
move was reportedly opposed by House Speaker Paul Ryan and others in
the Congressional leadership. President-elect Trump ran on a promise to
“drain the swamp.”
The
House leadership will get a chance to prove their opposition Tuesday,
when a public vote on a rules package that includes the changes to
ethics oversight will occur on the House floor.
Source: thinkprogress.org/
Author: Judd Legum
No comments:
Post a Comment