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.