“In Republicans’ Ethics Office Gambit, a Spectacle of Tweets and Retreats”

Carl Hulse in the NYT:

House Republicans might have amusedly applauded Mr. Trump’s cutting tweets when they were aimed at the news media and other common foes, but they found them measurably less funny when the criticisms were directed their way, raising alarms among Republicans about his power to corral them via social media. Following the decision to reverse course, several lawmakers were quietly fretting that Mr. Trump’s megaphone was much more powerful than they had realized.

Other Republicans both on and off Capitol Hill were wondering how the rules-change proposal got as far as it did, given the stated reservations of Mr. Ryan and Mr. McCarthy among others. They said it did not bode well that the rank and file was so willing to ignore leadership on such a potentially critical matter, demonstrating once again how hard it can be to manage the House Republicans even when the party is set to control both Capitol Hill and the White House.

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