Ryan Defends House GOP Vote To Weaken Ethics Watchdog
Source: Talking Points Memo
By CAITLIN MACNEAL Published JANUARY 3, 2017, 11:17 AM EDT
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Tuesday morning released a statement attempting to downplay the vote by House Republicans on Monday night to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics.
"After eight years of operation, many members believe the Office of Congressional Ethics is in need of reform to protect due process and ensure it is operating according to its stated mission. I want to make clear that this House will hold its members to the highest ethical standards and the Office will continue to operate independently to provide public accountability to Congress," Ryan said in a statement.
The House Republican Conference on Monday night passed changes to the way the Office of Congressional Ethics operates. The rules place the office under oversight of the House Ethics Committee and prevent the office staff from making statements separate from the House Ethics Committee. The rules changes also keep the office from investigating anonymous tips or referring probes to a prosecutor without permission from the House Ethics Committee. In his statement Ryan stressed that the Office of Congressional Ethics will remain an independent body and will not be controlled by the House Ethics Committee.
"The Office will continue to be governed by a bipartisan independent outside board with ultimate decision-making authority. The Office is still expected to take in complaints of wrongdoing from the public. It will still investigate them thoroughly and independently. And the outside board will still decide whether or not evidence exists to warrant a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee. With the amendment adopted last night, the bipartisan, evenly-divided House Ethics Committee will now have oversight of the complaints office," Ryan said.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/paul-ryan-office-ethics-defense
bucolic_frolic
(43,045 posts)Lyin' Ryan never changes his smug puss
titaniumsalute
(4,742 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)―Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin
Word is that Ryan opposed gutting the ethics office as their first order of business. He had the notion that it might...gee, look bad. (As in, do it later.)
Promising start, Mr. Speaker.
3catwoman3
(23,947 posts)We don't need no steenkin' ethics.
brooklynite
(94,333 posts)UPDATE: Following a public outcry, and criticism from President-elect Donald Trump, House Republicans reversed course Tuesday on drastic changes to the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) offered a motion to restore the current OCE rules, and that was accepted by the GOP conference.
Leadership...
ffr
(22,665 posts)My question is with all of Ryan's talk about still, still, still, be ethical, be independent and on and on and on, WHY GUT IT IF IT'S STILL THE SAME AS IT WAS???
66 million of us are still here Ryan and we're not hoodwinked fools like the 63 million minority that voter your GOP asses into power, so FU!! Leave our government's safeguards intact!
We're watching you, you fcuking criminal!
malthaussen
(17,175 posts)... as they have suddenly reversed themselves. Then he can change his act again when they reverse the reversal.
-- Mal
dawnie51
(959 posts)and that has not changed. He will not let go along with Ryan just on anything unless it puts money directly in his pocket.
Turbineguy
(37,291 posts)Ryan was telling us that the GOP has been busy for a whole year getting ready to fuck the U.S.A. in the ass with a splintery damage control plug.
And here we thought the last congress was a do-nothing bunch!
lancelyons
(988 posts)I would like to know where the Democratic Congressman and women are with their own statements on this kind of stuff.
Is it out there and I cant see it? Does the press bother getting some comments from the other side?
How does that work.
tenorly
(2,037 posts)Because as Willie Sutton put it, that's where the money is.
Cha
(296,848 posts)Could it be this?..
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028427558#top