Trump Questions Not the Gutting of the Ethics Office but the Timing
Donald Trump has weighed in on the top news story of the day, House Republicans’ decision to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). Calling the independent nonpartisan watchdog “unfair,” the president-elect says Congress shouldn’t make “weakening” it their first act, but implies they should delay that action because they have more important work to do.
He ended his tweets with #DTS, presumably, for his slogan, “drain the swamp,” something he has not only not done, but in fact, has drained the swamp into his administration.
The Office of Congressional Ethics will disappear, and be embedded within the House Ethics Committee. Its powers will be greatly reduced. Anonymous tips will not be accepted, meaning, for example, a congressional staffer suffering sexual harassment would have to come forward publicly. It also means a concerned staffer could not report their boss’s illegal actions without outing themselves. And the House Ethics Committee could end any investigation it chooses, for any or no reason.
Trump commenting on the immoral act House Republicans, under the cloak of darkness at the 11th hour and with zero communication to the American people, took Monday night is a positive step, his suggestion to delay weakening the OCE does nothing. He should tell Congress they must not destroy the OCE, which grew out of a need to address the rampant corruption in Congress. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi instituted the independent office, which survived under Speaker John Boehner, but appears to be near death under Speaker Paul Ryan.
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Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license