Republicans vote to restrict independent ethics office

Republicans have moved to severely limit the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent body created in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct by legislators after several bribery and corruption scandals sent members to prison.

The change, which prompted an outcry from Democrats and government watchdog groups, is part of a rules package on which the full House of Representatives will vote later.

The package also includes a means for Republican leaders to punish legislators if there is a repeat of the Democratic sit-in last summer over gun control.

Under the ethics change pushed by Republican Bob Goodlatte, the non-partisan Office of Congressional Ethics would fall under the control of the House Ethics Committee, which is run by legislators.

It would be known as the Office of Congressional Complaint Review, and the rule change would require that "any matter that may involve a violation of criminal law must be referred to the Committee on Ethics for potential referral to law enforcement agencies after an affirmative vote by the members", according to Mr Goodlatte's office.

Legislators would have the final say on their colleagues under the change. House Republicans voted 119-74 for the Goodlatte measure.

"The amendment builds upon and strengthens the existing Office of Congressional Ethics by maintaining its primary area of focus of accepting and reviewing complaints from the public and referring them, if appropriate, to the Committee on Ethics," Mr Goodlatte said in a statement.

Democrats, led by minority leader Nancy Pelosi, reacted angrily.

Elizabeth Warren slams GOP move to weaken Office of Congressional Ethics: 'Who thinks the problem with DC is too many ethics rules?' pic.twitter.com/Z8qKj2COzR

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 3, 2017

"Republicans claim they want to 'drain the swamp', but the night before the new Congress gets sworn in, the House GOP has eliminated the only independent ethics oversight of their actions," the California Democrat said in a statement. "Evidently, ethics are the first casualty of the new Republican Congress."

Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, said she had not talked to him directly about the issue but that under the previous system there had been "overzealousness" in going after legislators. "We don't want people wrongly accused," she said.

Others said the new system would make it easier for corruption to flourish.

"We all know the so-called House Ethics Committee is worthless for anything other than a whitewash - sweeping corruption under the rug," said Chris Carson, president of the League of Women Voters.

"That's why the independent Office of Congressional Ethics has been so important. The OCE works to stop corruption and that's why speaker (Paul) Ryan is cutting its authority. Speaker Ryan is giving a green light to congressional corruption."

The OCE was created in March 2008 after the cases of Republican representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who served more than seven years in prison on bribery and other charges; Republican Bob Ney, who was charged in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and pleaded guilty to corruption charges; and Democrat William Jefferson, convicted of corruption.

AP