'So much for draining the swamp': Pelosi blasts GOP for gutting Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

In a Monday night tweet, House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi slammed House Republican members for voting to eliminate the independent Office of Congressional Ethics and place it under the control of a GOP-led House committee.

CNN reports that House Republicans voted 119-74 Monday night to shift the watchdog committee --  tasked with keeping an eye on House members -- under the control of the GOP-controlled House Ethics Committee and barring it from reviewing any violation of criminal law by members of Congress.

Additionally, the House Ethics Committee could shut down any investigation.

On Twitter, Pelosi condemned the power grab, writing, "Tmrw @HouseGOP will destroy the office that provides independent ethics process. So much for draining the swamp."

In an accompanying statement she wrote:

“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.

“The Office of Congressional Ethics is essential to an effective ethics process in the House, providing a vital element of transparency and accountability to the ethics process. The amendment Republicans approved tonight would functionally destroy this office.

“Congress must hold itself to the highest standards of conduct. Instead, the House Republicans Conference has acted to weaken ethics and silence would-be whistleblowers.”

See the tweet below: