Bryson Morgan Speaks to MSNBC: House GOP Scraps Plan to Gut Ethics Office

After further review, House Republications reversed their vote to significantly curtail the power of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), an independent ethics office set up in 2008 in the aftermath of corruption scandals that sent three members of Congress to jail. 

Caplin & Drysdale’s Bryson Morgan, who served as Investigative Counsel at the U.S. House of Representatives Office of Congressional Ethics, spoke to MSNBC stating “I think there is a group, a small faction of the Republican Party in the House -- that as soon as people are not paying attention and as soon as they can get away with it -- they would prefer to do away with independent ethics oversight of members of Congress.  I think what today shows us is that the public is definitely paying attention and indeed the President-elect is paying attention.”

“Some people are giving President-elect Trump credit for saving independent ethics oversight in the House but I think his objection was more about the prioritization of changing the ethics rule than the policy.  I don’t know where he stands on the policy of having an independent ethics watchdog in the House.”  To view the interview in its entirety, please visit this link.

As Investigative Counsel for the OCE, Mr. Morgan conducted investigations into alleged misconduct by Members of Congress and congressional staff.  His experience in both government and private practice give him a well-rounded perspective on political law compliance, and make him an authority on congressional ethics rules and investigations.