President-elect Donald Trump criticized House Republicans’ vote Monday night that would have substantially weakened the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent ethics body that investigates possible wrongdoing by House lawmakers, and suggested that other issues should be higher on the legislative agenda.
On Tuesday afternoon, House Republicans withdrew the changes that had passed the previous night, following Trump’s statements and under intense pressure from the public.
In two tweets Tuesday morning, Trump said Congress had “so many other things of far greater importance” to address, including healthcare and tax reform.
“With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it may be, their number one act and priority,” he asked, adding a hashtag for his slogan to “drain the swamp.”