Murrieta Congressman Reacts to House GOP Bid to Gut Ethics Board

CORONA, CA - Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said Tuesday the House GOP's decision to withdraw a proposed amendment intended to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics was the right thing to do.

"This is not the time and place to reform the Office of Congressional Ethics," Calvert said in a prepared statement. "It's critical that the House focus on the problems we were elected to fix: our broken healthcare system, the onslaught of job-killing regulations, illegal immigration, and keeping our country safe."

The about-face by Republicans in the House of Representatives came after an emergency meeting where GOP lawmakers decided to reverse course and remove the amendment from a broader package of House Rules set to be voted on Tuesday.

The House Republican Conference initially voted Monday night in a closed- door meeting to approve changes to House Rules that would have prevented the OCE, an independent nonpartisan ethics board, from investigating anonymous tips made against lawmakers and making public statements regarding investigations, among other changes.

Before the decision was made to drop the new rules, President-elect Donald Trump called the OCE "unfair," though criticized the move to modify its role, tweeting that Congress should not make it "their number one act and priority."

Reps. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, and Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta, also took to Twitter to admonish House Republicans.

"Outraged GOP weakened checks and balances. Public servants should uphold highest ethics standards," Ruiz wrote.

In his statement, Calvert said he voted against the amendment when it was first brought up at the House Republican Conference on Monday, a federal holiday on the eve of the new Congress.

Calvert represents the 42nd Congressional District, which includes Corona, Norco, Eastvale, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Canyon Lake, Menifee, Murrieta and part of Temecula.

– By City News Service / Image via Office of Ken Calvert