Speaker Paul Ryan reportedly warned against his party’s decision to gut ethics enforcement in the House. But now that the decision’s made, he’s energetically applying lipstick to that pig. Ryan issued a statement saying that:
“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.”
Suddenly Republicans are all about due process. When it comes to themselves, anyway—still not so much when it comes to teachers, or in the criminal justice system.
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. The Office will continue to be governed by a bipartisan independent outside board with ultimate decision-making authority.
Except not really at all! Ryan may want to make it clear, but that’s not what House Republicans actually voted for.
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. But the Office is not controlled by the Committee, and I expect that oversight authority to be exercised solely to ensure the Office is properly following its rules and laws, just as any government entity should. I have made clear to the new Chair of the House Ethics Committee that it is not to interfere with the Office’s investigations or prevent it from doing its job. All members of Congress are required to earn the public’s trust every single day, and this House will hold members accountable to the people.”
He’s making it clear: He expects oversight authority to be exercised solely to be sure the rules are being followed. The House Ethics Committee isn’t to interfere.
But that’s not what the amendment his Republicans voted in says. Ryan isn’t even closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. He’s standing by a door that has just been opened, and rather than trying to close it, he’s announcing that it’s okay the door is open because he totally told the horse not to bolt.
And you know what? Ryan will probably get plenty of media reports that everything is okay because he told the horse not to bolt/the House Ethics Committee not to actually exercise the powers it now has to gut ethics enforcement. But all the statements in the world can’t change the fact that House Republicans made gutting ethics enforcement one of their first priorities for 2017.