House GOP Reverses on Ethics Change After Trump Criticism

  • Trump says ethics change shouldn’t be GOP’s ‘number one act’
  • House to vote later Tuesday to approve broader rules package

Trump Transition: GOP Panic, Mnuchin Foreclosures

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

House Republicans dropped their bid to weaken the independent Office of Congressional Ethics after President-elect Donald Trump blasted the move as counter to his call to "drain the swamp" of corruption in Washington.

The amendment was stripped from a rules package by voice vote, three lawmakers said, in a last-minute meeting called Tuesday as criticism mounted. The controversy over the office that investigates lawmakers’ alleged misconduct was starting to overshadow the opening of the 115th Congress, normally a day of glad-handing as lawmakers bring family members to the floor to join the festivities.