UPDATED 1/3/17 12:26 p.m.: Early Tuesday, the gutting of the ethics watchdog was dropped. House Republicans withdrew the proposal "at an emergency conference meeting" following widespread backlash from the public, the Hill reported.
See original story below.
Without warning, House Republicans voted privately Monday to "effectively kill" the Office of Congressional Ethics. The move would strip power and independence from the investigative body while handing more control over internal inquiries to lawmakers, the New York Timesreported. A full House vote is scheduled for Tuesday.
Rep. Robert Goodlatte, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, announced the move Monday night. In a tweet, Goodlatte purported that the change "does nothing to impede OCE's work." The reality of the decision, however, tells a different story. Republicans are now expected to establish a new Office of Congressional Complaint Review, with the Timesnoting that such a group would report to the House Ethics Committee, which has been accused of "ignoring credible allegations of wrongdoing" in the past.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House minority leader, quickly took aim at the troubling behind-closed-doors method with which Republicans effectively gutted the office while spitting in the face of their constituents. "So much for draining the swamp," Pelosi tweeted. In a subsequent statement, Pelosi mourned the first casualty of the new Republican Congress: ethics.
"The Office of Congressional Ethics is essential to an effective ethics process in the House, providing a vital element of transparency and accountability to the ethics process," Pelosi said. "The amendment Republicans approved tonight would functionally destroy this office."
Meanwhile, Trump seemed to be actively distracting the American public by tweeting about a proposed border tax for General Motors:
