U.S. House Republicans end plan to weaken ethics watchdog

Reuters
The U.S. Capitol Building is lit at sunset in Washington, U.S., December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans on Tuesday reversed course and withdrew their proposal to weaken an outside ethics watchdog charged with investigating lawmakers' behavior, House Speaker Paul Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said. The move to abandon the plan comes just hours after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized the move aimed at giving lawmakers greater control over the Office of Congressional Ethics. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Writing by Susan Heavey)