House GOP Rolls Back Ethics Change Amid Sharp Rebukes

House GOP Rolls Back Ethics Change Amid Sharp Rebukes

January 3, 2017, Congressional Quarterly News

Robert Kelner is quoted in a Congressional Quarterly News article regarding the decision by House Republicans to reverse a vote to roll back the authority of the Office of Congressional Ethics. According to Kelner, "Changes are definitely needed at OCE, but I question the politics of how this was handled.” The office does not have subpoena power and so has little authority over anyone outside of the House, including former aides, Kelner says. "Out of frustration, the leadership of OCE, in a passive-aggressive fashion, then undertook a series of measures to compensate for that lack of subpoena power that are in consistent with due process," he adds.