Jason Chaffetz

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In Another Surprise, Chaffetz to Quit Early

Reports say Utah congressman will leave in June

(Newser) - Rep. Jason Chaffetz surprised the political world last month when he announced that he wouldn't run for re-election. Now the conservative from Utah apparently has another surprise: Sources tell Politico that he won't serve out his current term and will instead leave office on June 30. He's...

Obama's Pension Now Under Congressional Microscope

Jason Chaffetz wants to re-up vetoed bill that would cap, limit ex-presidents' allowances

(Newser) - Jason Chaffetz had a concise response to a Wednesday USA Today headline, which read "Obama's $400,000 speech could prompt Congress to go after his pension": "Yes, it will." That speech, one Obama will make at a Cantor Fitzgerald conference, is earning him some heat , prompting...

Chaffetz: 'No Ulterior Motives' in Backing Out of 2018 Race

Utah Republican, Oversight chair says he's going back to private sector—for now

(Newser) - GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz, head of the House Oversight Committee, will not run for reelection in Utah in 2018, Politico reports. Chaffetz made the announcement on Facebook Wednesday morning, noting that after "long consultation with my family and prayerful consideration," he'd decided to follow his own advice...

Chaffetz: Poor May Have to Choose Health Care or iPhone

'Maybe rather than getting that new iPhone ... they should invest it in their health care'

(Newser) - House Republicans' replacement for ObamaCare is taking heat from the left and the right , and one of their own is now getting roasted over his attempt at defending the nascent plan, reports Politico . Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, appeared on CNN Tuesday morning. When...

At Utah Rep's Town Hall, 'Deafening' Boos

'Vote him out,' protesters chanted of Rep. Jason Chaffetz

(Newser) - The chairman of the House Oversight Committee was met by frequent, deafening boos at a Thursday town hall in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, as constituents grilled him on everything from investigating President Trump's tax returns to Planned Parenthood, reports the AP . A young girl asked Rep. Jason Chaffetz about his...

Hunters, Eco-Activists Unite Against Federal 'Land Grab'

Controversial bill withdrawn, for now

(Newser) - Conservationists of all kinds are protesting a Republican lawmaker's proposal for the "disposal" of an area of federal land the size of Connecticut—and their outcry seems to have worked, for now. The House bill introduced by Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz called for the immediate sale of 3....

Utah Republicans Abandon Trump
Utah Republicans
Abandon Trump

Utah Republicans Abandon Trump

The governor's not voting for him

(Newser) - The Republican backlash to the crude Donald Trump comments that surfaced Friday has been strongest in Utah, where leading politicians were slow to endorse him and have been quick to abandon him. "I'm out. I'm pulling my endorsement," Rep. Jason Chaffetz tells the Salt Lake Tribune...

House GOP Trying to Impeach IRS Chief

Move comes after Justice Department wraps up investigation

(Newser) - Now that the Justice Department has decided not to file criminal charges in the IRS scandal over the scrutiny of conservative groups, House Republicans have moved to take action of their own: impeachment. A powerful House committee has advanced a measure to impeach IRS chief John Koskinen, reports the Washington ...

House May Not Be Able to Elect a New Speaker

Conservative bloc holds the trump cards, writes Russell Berman

(Newser) - Rep. Kevin McCarthy is the heavy favorite to be the next House speaker, but he's got a big math problem at the moment: When the full House votes on Oct. 29, he needs 218 ayes—and a group of about 30 conservative Republicans can prevent him from getting there,...

'Dark Horse' Hops Into Race to Succeed Boehner

Jason Chaffetz says Kevin McCarthy can't unite hardcore, moderate factions

(Newser) - As Kevin McCarthy's bid to succeed John Boehner as speaker of the House seems slightly less inevitable , the race got a new entrant Sunday in the form of Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee. "There are very few people who can win...

Secret Service Plotted to Embarrass Congressman

Watchdog says private information on Chaffetz was leaked

(Newser) - Secret Service agents played dirty when a congressman criticized the agency, according to a government watchdog report. During Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz's investigation of the service, top agents dug into his files and decided to leak information about the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman, including the...

Pot Becomes Legal in DC Despite Threat to Jail Mayor

Muriel Bowser unfazed by GOP warning

(Newser) - Recreational marijuana became legal in Washington DC at a minute after midnight, but some House GOP leaders were already fuming. In a stern letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz warned that city officials who allowed voter-approved legalization to go ahead would be doing so in...

Fence-Jumper Got Deep Inside White House: Report

Omar Gonzalez overpowered guard, passed First Family's quarters

(Newser) - The fence-jumper who bolted across the White House lawn with a knife this month made it further than previously admitted—inside the building and within a stone's throw of the First Family's living quarters, the Washington Post reports. Insiders say former Army soldier Omar Gonzalez overpowered a Secret...

Lawmakers Blast TSA Over 25K Security Breaches

Agency providing poor security at great expense, critics say

(Newser) - There have been more than 25,000 known security breaches at American airports since the Transportation Security Administration was created in 2001, agency officials told a House committee probing security shortcomings. The breaches include 14,000 people who have found their way into sensitive areas and 6,000 travelers who...

These Lawmakers Will Start Packing Heat

Members of Congress can be granted 'special deputy' status

(Newser) - Instead of taking guns out of American hands, some frightened politicians will start packing heat themselves for protection. "After the elections, I let my guard down," NC Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler told Politico . "Now I know I need" to have my gun "on me. We’re...

Capitol Hill Workers Owed $9.3M in Back Taxes in 2009

They should be fired, critics say

(Newser) - The IRS doesn't have to go far to track down tax scofflaws: Capital Hill employees owed $9.3 million in overdue taxes at the end of last year, reports the Washington Post . And while their debt is only a sliver of the $1 billion owed by all federal workers, according...

No Love Lost Between Tea Partiers and Their Caucus

Republicans co-opting the brand, they complain

(Newser) - The tea party has a voice in Congress now, and it’s not thrilled about it. To many activists, Michelle Bachmann’s new 49-member Tea Party Caucus looks like an attempt to co-opt the movement, Politico reports. “Ultimately, I worry it destroys the tea party—which started out as...

'Still a Lot to Learn' on 9/11: GOP Rep.
 'Still a Lot to Learn' 
 on 9/11: GOP Rep.  
GLENN BECK PAL JASON CHAFFETZ

'Still a Lot to Learn' on 9/11: GOP Rep.

Will pal Glenn Beck now call for Jason Chaffetz's head?

(Newser) - We don’t know the real truth behind the 9/11 attacks, Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz said at a town-hall meeting yesterday. Asked by a group that believes “it was a false flag terrorist attack, that the buildings came down with internally placed demolition,” the Republican said, “there’...

Debate Rages Over 'Strip Search' Airport Scans

Detroit bomb plot pits security against privacy

(Newser) - Next-generation body scanning devices are coming to more American airports, triggering another heated debate over privacy versus security in the wake of the terror attack on a Detroit flight. Experts say the devices, which can detect objects under clothes, could have stopped the attempted Detroit attack. Critics warn that the...

Top Obama Birthday Gifts

(Newser) - President Obama’s birthday is right around the corner—no matter where Lou Dobbs thinks he was born—but what do you get the leader of the free world? Politico asked various Washingtonians their thoughts for Tuesday's big occasion. Some notable responses:
  • Joe Biden: “It’s a surprise!”
...

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