Republicans voted in secret to close the Office of Congressional Ethics, against the advice of party leaders.

“Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!” Mr Trump said in a tweet.

Mr Trump made cleaning up corruption in Washington a key theme of his campaign.

He ended his tweet with “#DTS”, which is an acronym for “drain the swamp”, his campaign slogan.

Democrats reacted with outrage to the vote, which could be passed later in the first session of the new Congress.

Trump v Republicans – who wins? Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington

Members of Congress have only just arrived back in Washington, and already there is a dispute brewing between president-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled legislative branch.

The move on Monday night by House Republicans was already prompting condemnation by Democrats, good-government watchdogs and political commentators.

But given that Republicans will control all levers of power in the federal government and a public uproar seemed unlikely, the change appeared to be a fait accompli.

Then Donald Trump demonstrated just how quickly his itchy Twitter finger can alter the political dynamic. Because the president-elect weighed in against the move, Republicans in the House will now have to decide whether they want to cross their new standard bearer before he even takes the oath of office.

This has become an early test of Mr Trump’s power of political persuasion. Can he use the presidential bully pulpit, magnified through social media, to bend members of his own party to his will? Or will the man who campaigned on metaphorically draining the Washington swamp find his first steps mired in the muck?

Under the change:

 The watchdog would no longer be independent

 Lawmakers would vote to determine if a fellow member of congress has broken the law

 The body would be prevented from receiving anonymous tips

 Accusations against lawmakers would not be made public, as they are currently

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.
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By: BBC

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The congress is also expected to allow the executives devise strategies towards the 2020 elections, after its massive defeat in the 2016 elections.

Addressing the press on Thursday, the General Secretary of the party, Johnson Aseidu Nketia, explained that the party’s constitution mandates it to conduct a congress within twenty four months when it is in opposition.

“An early congress is provided for by our constitution. When we are in government, there is a time frame for our elections to be held. When we are out of power there is a time frame within which the elections should be held. We begin our elections with branch elections then we proceed to constituency elections and then we go to regional elections.”

He continued, “By the time we finish with regional elections, then we prepare and do the three other national elections. The youth congress, the women’s congress and the main party congress then after that we will then decide to do another event to select a Flagbearer. When we are in power, we are allowed to hold the congress and select our leadership one year before the elections, when we are out of power, we do it within two years. That is why we call it early congress,”he explained.

Article 21 of the NDC constitution states that “There shall be a Congress of the Party to be held once every four years as the National Congress which shall be the highest decision making body of the Party.”

“The National Congress shall be convened by the General Secretary acting on the direction of the National Executive Committee stating the date and venue.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com,/Ghana

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At least 40 demonstrators scuffled with guards and took over the podium as a session began on Wednesday.

Denouncing government corruption, they called for a return to military rule – which Brazil saw from 1964 to 1985.

In Rio de Janeiro, police fired tear gas at public sector workers protesting against cuts.

The protesters swept past security guards and smashed a glass door to get into the parliament chamber, where they shouted “general here, general here” and sang the national anthem.

‘Era of extremes’
It took police three hours to round up all the protesters, according to Reuters news agency. They were all detained.

Later in the day, President Michel Temer’s spokesman, Alexandre Parola, called the protest an “affront” and said it was a “violation of the norms of democratic co-existence.”

“It’s worrying and serves as a warning. We are returning to an era of extremes,” said one congressional deputy, Betinho Gomes.

Public confidence in Brazilian institutions has been eroded by a massive corruption scandal and the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.

Mr Temer was Ms Rousseff’s vice-president before being promoted after her dismissal.

Last week she filed court documents accusing him of accepting a large bribe. His party says the money was a legal campaign donation.

Brazil was one of several Latin American nations where the military overthrew democratic governments in the 1960s and 70s.

The generals said they were countering the very real threat of a communist insurgency and had support from a considerable part of Brazil’s elite.

The regime detained, tortured – and in some cases – killed its opponents, while overseeing rapid economic growth.

Unpaid salaries
Also on Wednesday, protesters gathered outside the state legislature where austerity plans to tackle the city’s financial crisis were being debated.

Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades into a crowd of about 2,000 protesters, ranging from teachers to off-duty police officers, AFP news agency reported.

The state has been hit by a drop in global l and commodity prices and declared a financial emergency ahead of the Rio Olympics earlier this year.

Many public workers have not been paid in months.

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Source: BBC

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He said the bill would set a “dangerous precedent” for individuals around the world to sue the US government.

Wednesday’s vote was the first time Mr Obama’s veto power was overruled.

CIA Director John Brennan agreed that the bill carried “grave implications” for national security.

He added: “The downside is potentially huge.”

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism (JASTA) legislation opens the door for victims’ families to sue any member of the Saudi government suspected of playing a role in the 9/11 attacks.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, but the oil-rich kingdom – a key US ally – has denied any role in the attacks, which left nearly 3,000 people dead.

While US intelligence raised suspicions about some of the hijackers’ connections, no link has been proven to support claims that Saudi officials provided financial support to the suspects.

Mr Obama told CNN on Wednesday: “It’s a dangerous precedent and it’s an example of why sometimes you have to do what’s hard.

“And, frankly, I wish Congress here had done what’s hard.
“The concern that I’ve had has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia per se or my sympathy for 9/11 families.

“It has to do with me not wanting a situation where we’re suddenly exposed to liabilities for all the work that we’re doing all around the world and suddenly finding ourselves subject to private lawsuits.”

But families of the victims and their lawyers have dismissed these concerns.

“We rejoice in this triumph and look forward to our day in court and a time when we may finally get more answers regarding who was truly behind the attacks,” said Terry Strada, national chair of the 9/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism.

‘Most embarrassing’
Mr Obama suggested that his colleagues’ voting patterns were influenced by political concerns.

“If you’re perceived as voting against 9/11 families right before an election, not surprisingly, that’s a hard vote for people to take.

“But it would have been the right thing to do.”

The Senate voted 97-1 and the House of Representatives 348-77, meaning the bill becomes law.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters the vote was “the single most embarrassing thing the United States Senate has done” in decades.

But the measure’s supporters contended the legislation only applies to acts of terrorism that have occurred on US soil – and side-swiped at Mr Obama for his perceived prioritising of relations with Saudi Arabia.

“The White House and the executive branch (are) far more interested in diplomatic considerations,” said Democratic New York Senator Chuck Schumer.

“We’re more interested in the families and in justice.”

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Source: BBC

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