Republican Lawmakers Blindsided by Trump's Embrace of Glass-Steagall Act: While alarmed by Donald Trump's decision to add the reinstatement of the 1930s-era law to the platform, GOP lawmakers maintain Trump is a better choice for the financial system.

Washington - The 11th hour move by the Donald Trump campaign to add a plan to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act to the Republican platform caught GOP lawmakers off-guard, some of whom expressed disappointment with the decision.

While the 1930s-era law which separated commercial and investment banking activities is strongly supported by progressive Democrats, it is not popular among most Republican policymakers.

"I was completely surprised," said Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, in an interview just hours before Trump's formal nomination on July 19. "It was a late addition. I am not sure how it happened. I was very disappointed that that got included, because frankly I think that will make our banks more vulnerable if we try and put Glass-Steagall back in and make them more likely to fail because they will be more focused on fewer classifications of assets."

Another panel member, Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., was also taken aback.

"That issue per se was not something that contributed to the financial crisis," said French in a separate interview here. "Commercial bank underwriting and distributing of securities is not something that was a major contributor to the financial crisis."

Stivers said the Trump campaign might have been wise to seek more input from the banking industry before including it in the platform.

"I think it was put in there and supported by folks who maybe don't understand how banking works," said Stivers, who was interviewed in a subterranean lounge that resembled...