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| New Republican Congress reverses ethics move after outcry | New Republican Congress reverses ethics move after outcry |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Republicans are to drop a plan to gut the independent body that investigates political misconduct, after an outcry. | Republicans are to drop a plan to gut the independent body that investigates political misconduct, after an outcry. |
| President-elect Donald Trump had criticised Republicans after they voted to strip the Office of Congressional Ethics of its independence. | President-elect Donald Trump had criticised Republicans after they voted to strip the Office of Congressional Ethics of its independence. |
| "Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!" Mr Trump said in a tweet. | "Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!" Mr Trump said in a tweet. |
| The proposal was dropped in an emergency meeting at the new Congress, unnamed lawmakers told the US media. | The proposal was dropped in an emergency meeting at the new Congress, unnamed lawmakers told the US media. |
| Mr Trump made cleaning up corruption in Washington a key theme of his campaign, and he ended his tweet with "#DTS", an acronym for "drain the swamp". | Mr Trump made cleaning up corruption in Washington a key theme of his campaign, and he ended his tweet with "#DTS", an acronym for "drain the swamp". |
| Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan had argued unsuccessfully against the vote but on Tuesday he defended the proposal. | Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan had argued unsuccessfully against the vote but on Tuesday he defended the proposal. |
| "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," he said. | "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," he said. |
| Decoding Trump's N Korea tweet | Decoding Trump's N Korea tweet |
| How might Trump 'drain the swamp'? | How might Trump 'drain the swamp'? |
| Ford Motors cancels $1.6bn Mexico plant | Ford Motors cancels $1.6bn Mexico plant |
| A win for Trump - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington | |
| Donald Trump's tweets have teeth. The president-elect took to social media to express his displeasure with the move and within hours those legislative efforts were abandoned. | |
| The independent ethics investigators had been a source of discomfort for members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, and there was significant interest in limiting their ability to conduct inquiries. | |
| Even after Mr Trump's tweets, many congressional Republicans appeared reluctant to back down. House Speaker Paul Ryan, an initial opponent of the measure, issued a statement defending the change. | |
| That ended up being little comfort to the party rank and file, however, as pressure increased for them to bend to Mr Trump's political will. In his first confrontation with congressional leadership, the president-elect displayed his dominance. | |
| Mr Trump now has a valuable talking point when discussions inevitably turn back to his own ethical questions, such as how he will handle potential conflicts of interest involving his sprawling business empire. | |
| He has made it a bit easier, at least for now, to claim he's standing behind his drain-the-Washington-swamp campaign rhetoric. | |
| Under the change: | Under the change: |
| Senior Republican Congressmen Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy had urged their party to seek bipartisan support and to wait to push for the change later. | Senior Republican Congressmen Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy had urged their party to seek bipartisan support and to wait to push for the change later. |
| But Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte submitted the proposal against the advice of his own party's leaders. | But Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte submitted the proposal against the advice of his own party's leaders. |
| Mr Trump's tweets about the ethics committee came on a busy morning for the president-elect's Twitter account. | Mr Trump's tweets about the ethics committee came on a busy morning for the president-elect's Twitter account. |
| He also warned North Korea about its nuclear ambitions, attacked Obamacare costs and sparked a row with General Motors over its manufacturing operation in Mexico, which the car firm disputes. | He also warned North Korea about its nuclear ambitions, attacked Obamacare costs and sparked a row with General Motors over its manufacturing operation in Mexico, which the car firm disputes. |