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ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

Is anyone surprised?
LOL



http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/us/politics/with-no-warning-house-republicans-vote-to-hobble-independent-ethics-office.html?emc=edit_th_20170103&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=69606674

WASHINGTON — House Republicans, overriding their top leaders, voted on Monday to significantly curtail the power of an independent ethics office set up in 2008 in the aftermath of corruption scandals that sent three members of Congress to jail.

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. There was no advance notice or debate on the measure.

The surprising vote came on the eve of the start of a new session of Congress, where emboldened Republicans are ready to push an ambitious agenda on everything from health care to infrastructure, issues that will be the subject of intense lobbying from corporate interests. The House Republicans’ move would take away both power and independence from an investigative body, and give lawmakers more control over internal inquiries.

It also came on the eve of a historic shift in power in Washington, where Republicans control both houses of Congress and where a wealthy businessman with myriad potential conflicts of interest is preparing to move into the White House.

Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority leader, spoke out during the meeting to oppose the measure, aides said on Monday night. The full House is scheduled to vote on Tuesday on the rules, which would last for two years, until the next congressional elections.

In place of the office, Republicans would create a new Office of Congressional Complaint Review that would report to the House Ethics Committee, which has been accused of ignoring credible allegations of wrongdoing by lawmakers.

“Poor way to begin draining the swamp,” Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, said on Twitter. He added, “Swamp wins with help of @SpeakerRyan, @RepGoodlatte.”

Mr. Goodlatte defended the action in a statement on Monday evening, saying it would strengthen ethics oversight in the House while also giving lawmakers better protections against what some of them have called overzealous efforts by the Office of Congressional Ethics.

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The Office of Congressional Ethics has been controversial since its creation and has faced intense criticism from many of its lawmaker targets — both Democrats and Republicans — as its investigations have consistently been more aggressive than those conducted by the House Ethics Committee.

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One Republican House aide on Monday disputed the suggestion that the Office of Congressional Complaint Review was a new entity, arguing that the current staff would largely remain and that the outside board overseeing it would also continue to exist.

“It’s the same office, same people, most of the same rules,” said the House aide, who was not authorized to speak on the record.

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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. Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!

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ORIGINAL: BoscoX
In read somewhere else too, can't find the link right now, that many congressmen felt that the IEO unfairly targeted them, which explains the vote

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ORIGINAL: WhoreMods

As far as a Hall Monitor goes, I'm thinking more of a few third graders whining that they're being picked on because the Hall Monitor keeps catching them in the act.

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ORIGINAL: BoscoX
President Trump tweeted:

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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. Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!

In read somewhere else too, can't find the link right now, that many congressmen felt that the IEO unfairly targeted them, which explains the vote

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ORIGINAL: heavyblinker

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ORIGINAL: BoscoX
President Trump tweeted:

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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. Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!

In read somewhere else too, can't find the link right now, that many congressmen felt that the IEO unfairly targeted them, which explains the vote

Well, just as long as he doesn't actually do anything about it he'll be fine.

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ORIGINAL: heavyblinker

Well, just as long as he doesn't actually do anything about it he'll be fine.

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ORIGINAL: BoscoX

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ORIGINAL: WhoreMods

As far as a Hall Monitor goes, I'm thinking more of a few third graders whining that they're being picked on because the Hall Monitor keeps catching them in the act.

2nd graders screaming about being picked on

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ORIGINAL: BoscoX

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ORIGINAL: heavyblinker

Well, just as long as he doesn't actually do anything about it he'll be fine.

Well, wht do you know - Trumps tweet changed hearts and minds, they're not going through with it. High praise soon to follow from the nonpartisan journalists at MSNBC and NPR and the NYT etc I am sure

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ORIGINAL: MercTech

I'm not sure gutting a holdover organization from the McCarthy era of witch hunts might be a bad idea. The "Ethics Committee" has, historically, been a bastion of harassment for the legislators that don't toe the party line. The actual ethics monitors tend to be the GAO auditors calling B.S. on free-wheeling junket addicted legislators.

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ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

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ORIGINAL: MercTech

I'm not sure gutting a holdover organization from the McCarthy era of witch hunts might be a bad idea. The "Ethics Committee" has, historically, been a bastion of harassment for the legislators that don't toe the party line. The actual ethics monitors tend to be the GAO auditors calling B.S. on free-wheeling junket addicted legislators.

That's not my point -- it's the rapid flip-flop when the wind was against them.

Nothing matters to these people except power.