Following news that House Republicans used an ambush move to kill the Office of Congressional Ethics, President-elect Donald Trump criticized the move in a series of tweets:
With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2017
……..may be, their number one act and priority. Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance! #DTS
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2017
In contrast to Trump’s tweet, his close aide Kellyanne Conway appeared supportive of the move in Tuesday television interviews.
“If a constituent has a complaint, they can still lodge that complaint,” Conway told NBC’s “Today” show, adding that she hadn’t spoken with Trump on this issue specifically. “They just can’t do it anonymously. And many of these people — members and their staffers who have been under investigation — they have complained about their due process rights being violated and compromised. They need protections, as well.”
Pelosi slammed the move.
“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. Evidently, ethics are the first casualty of the new Republican Congress,” she said in a statement Monday following the vote.
