GOP Preemptively Strikes Down Ethics Probe Into Actions of Four Republicans

Republicans voted to pass a new set of rules that could severely weaken attempts to investigate congressmen accused of wrongdoing, just as the House was weighing up whether to probe GOP lawmakers who defied their January 6 subpoenas.

In a 220-213 vote on Monday, the new GOP-controlled House imposed a series of changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), an independent body set up in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct against members of Congress.

Among the changes would be to reintroduce term limits for members of the bipartisan board, which would force the removal of three of four Democrats who are on the panel.

While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries can choose to hire replacements, the process could take months. The GOP also voted for rules requiring the OCE board to approve the hiring of investigators within the first 30 days of a new Congress.

Ethics advocacy groups have previously described the new set of rules as an attempt to "emasculate" the OCE, and say it means it will "struggle to perform its core function, dismantling one of the only ways members of Congress are held accountable for ethics violations."

The move was made just as the OCE was weighing up whether to launch an investigation into the GOP lawmakers who refused to comply with their January 6 subpoenas issued to them by the House Select Committee that investigated the Capitol riot, including newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Along with McCarthy, four other GOP lawmakers were subpoenaed by the panel in May 2022 : Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama.

As Brooks lost his GOP midterm primary and isn't in the 118th Congress, he wasn't considered for a potential investigation by the OCE for refusing to comply with his January 6 subpoena.

Kevin McCarthy

The then-GOP House leader was subpoenaed by the January 6 panel after refusing to voluntarily appear before the select committee to provide information.

The panel sought testimony from McCarthy about the conversations he had with Trump before, during, and after the January 6 attack, and on claims he made that Trump admitted to him that the former president "does have some responsibility" for the insurrection.

Scott Perry

The January 6 panel wanted to speak to the Pennsylvania congressman about his attempts to install a pro-Trump Department of Justice official, Jeffrey Clark, as acting attorney general who would back the former president's false claims of voter fraud in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.

Perry is also said to have discussed with Trump conspiracy theories that Dominion voting machines were being used to rig the election.

Jim Jordan

The Ohio congressman was subpoenaed as the panel wanted him to testify about conversations he had with Trump on January 6.

The committee also wanted to speak to Jordan about the meetings he was said to be present at in 2020 and 2021 where plans to overturn the election results were allegedly discussed.

Andy Biggs

The panel accused Biggs of having "participated in meetings to plan various aspects of January 6," including planning the "stop the steal" protests, which took place in Washington D.C. just before the riot at the Capitol took place.

The committee added that Biggs was alleged to have been part of efforts to persuade state officials that the 2020 election had been "stolen" and was also one of several GOP lawmakers who is alleged to have sought a presidential pardon from Trump before he left office.

The OCE has been contacted for comment.