title: U.S. House Republicans end plan to weaken ethics watchdog
text: 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. 