Scandals can end congressional careers – which is why the Office of Congressional Ethics regularly faces attempts to rein it in

The House GOP under new leader Kevin McCarthy, center in front of flag, adopted rules that included changes to operations of the office that conducts investigations of members. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Members of Congress can have their reputations damaged when caught up in a scandal, as media coverage surrounding George Santos for apparently lying about his resume and possibly violating campaign finance laws demonstrates.

Scandals can end congressional careers. So lawmakers may want to reduce scrutiny of their behavior. And yet members of Congress have at times voted to make themselves subject to even more scrutiny.