, Columnist
Republicans in Congress Have an Ethics Problem
The new House majority knew it couldn’t eliminate an outside watchdog panel, so it decided to hobble it instead.
Happy with Congress’s new set of rules.
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Republicans voted near-unanimously this week to weaken ethical oversight in Congress. It’s not the best look for the new House majority, but it doesn’t seem to care.
Representative George Santos of New York, newly sworn in despite lying about his background in order to get elected, called the new set of rules “fantastic.” All but one Republican (Tony Gonzales of Texas) voted for the rules, which include provisions that effectively neuter the independent, nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics.