CNN: House Democrat, 'Is there any American out there who thinks Congress is too ethical?'
January 3, 2017
By: Eugene Scott
(CNN) Democrats on the Hill -- including Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts -- are speaking out against Republicans' push to limit the powers of a watchdog panel that polices the ethics of Congress, saying it's "absolutely ridiculous."
"They completely blindsided us. It's absolutely ridiculous," Moulton told CNN's Alisyn Camerota Tuesday on "New Day." "Is there any American out there who thinks Congress is too ethical?"
"Donald Trump and the Republicans said they're going to drain the swamp, and the very first thing they do is dismantle our outside ethics watchdog."
House Republicans voted 119-74 Monday in a closed-door meeting to gut Congress' independent watchdog. The full House will vote on the rules later Tuesday.
Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte's proposal would place the independent Office of Congressional Ethics under the control of lawmakers, which outraged Democrats and outside ethics organizations.
Republicans argued that the ethics office was too powerful, aggressive and overzealous and at times took away individuals' due process.
But Moulton doubted that those were the real motivations behind the GOP's decision.
"I guess what they have on their agenda might run into trouble with ethics. I don't know what else could be the reason," he said.
Despite Republicans being in the majority, Moulton is optimistic that he will be able to find common ground with conservatives who value accountability.
"The good news on things like this is that there are Republicans who oppose it," he said. "Even Speaker Paul Ryan opposes this change."
Full article here.