Jason Edwin Chaffetz (born March 26, 1967) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017.
Chaffetz came to prominence in 2015 for his extensive investigations into Hillary Clinton. He rescinded his endorsement of Donald Trump in early October 2016 but expressed his intent to vote for him three weeks later. Having investigated Clinton and the Obama administration extensively, Chaffetz drew criticism after the 2016 election for declining to investigate potential conflicts of interest relating to President Donald Trump, and that of other individuals involved in his 2016 presidential campaign and subsequent presidential administration.
He resigned from office in 2017, six months into his fifth Congressional term, and has since been a commentator, Fox News contributor, and author. In 2021, Chaffetz joined the Government Accountability Institute.
Early life and education Chaffetz was born in Los Gatos, California, and raised in California, Arizona, and Colorado. His father, John A. Chaffetz (1935–2012), was a businessman, and his mother, Margaret "Peggy" A. Wood (1942–1995), was a Christian Scientist who later became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and ran a photography business. In the late 1970s, his father became involved with the ownership group of the Los Angeles Aztecs, a professional soccer team. His father later wrote Gay Reality: The Team Guido Story, a book about a gay couple who competed on The Amazing Race. His younger brother, Alex, runs a Colorado-based media consulting firm.
Chaffetz's father was Jewish, and his paternal grandfather Maxwell (Max) Chaffetz (1909–1986), the son of immigrants from Russia, was an FBI Special Agent. Max Chaffetz was the brother of Hammond E. Chaffetz, who pioneered federal antitrust prosecution policies later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., before building Kirkland & Ellis into one of the most powerful law firms in the United States, as well as the second cousin of Washington, D.C. real estate developer and philanthropist Morris Cafritz.
Chaffetz's father's first wife had been Kitty Dickson, who later married Michael Dukakis, future Massachusetts Governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee. The marriage lasted four years producing one son, John, Chaffetz's half-brother.According to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Searchable at http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461 Following Dickson's marriage to Dukakis, that son was adopted at age five by his stepfather, later deciding to change his surname to Dukakis when he was 18. While in college, Chaffetz worked as a Utah co-chairman of Michael Dukakis's 1988 presidential campaign. It was reported in 2009 and again in 2015 that Chaffetz remained close to his half-brother and the Dukakis family.
Chaffetz attended high school in California before graduating from Middle Park High School in Granby, Colorado. He attended Brigham Young University on an athletic scholarship and was the starting placekicker for the school's football team in 1988 and 1989. Over two seasons, Chaffetz converted 16 of 25 field goal attempts (64 percent) and 89 of 94 point-after attempts (95 percent)."Jason Chaffetz". BYU Cougars. Brigham Young University. Retrieved March 7, 2017. As of 2011, he still held the school's individual records for most extra points attempted in a game, most extra points made in a game, and most consecutive extra points made in a game. Chaffetz graduated from the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in 1989, with a B.A. in communications.
Raised Jewish, Chaffetz joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during his college years.Bierman, Noah (October 6, 2015). "Conservative GOP leader has unexpected Democratic fan: Michael Dukakis". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 14, 2017. "Later, Chaffetz, who was raised Jewish, would convert his religion and his politics, becoming a Mormon Republican." In 1989, he met his future wife Julie Johnson at a wedding in Arizona when he was a senior and Julie was a junior at Brigham Young University. They married in February 1991. After college, Chaffetz worked for about a decade in public relations for a multi-level marketing company, Nu Skin International.
Early political career Chaffetz became a Republican after meeting Ronald Reagan in 1990, when Reagan visited Chaffetz's employer, Nu Skin, as a motivational speaker. However, his political views had been drifting more to the right even while working for Dukakis. In 2003, Chaffetz applied to be an agent in the United States Secret Service but was not accepted because "better qualified applicants existed". In 2015, the Secret Service Inspector General found that agents illegally accessed Chaffetz's personnel file that included that information after Chaffetz began heading investigations into the Secret Service.
In 2004, Chaffetz was the campaign manager for Utah gubernatorial candidate Jon Huntsman. Huntsman won the race, and when he took office in January 2005, Chaffetz became Huntsman's chief of staff. In 2005, Chaffetz started Maxtera Utah Inc., a corporate communications and marketing company. In 2006, Chaffetz was appointed by Huntsman as a trustee for Utah Valley State College. Chaffetz has also served as a member of the Highland City planning commission and as chairman for the Utah National Guard adjutant general review.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections 2008
After the nearly 1200 3rd District delegates to the state Republican convention were elected on March 25, 2008, Chaffetz sent a mailer announcing that he would run a different kind of campaign. He would have no paid staff, no campaign office, no free meals for delegates, no campaign debt and no polling. He committed to spend between $70 and $80 per delegate, telling voters, "How you run your campaign is indicative of how you're going to be in office."
Although Cannon was one of the most conservative members of the House, Chaffetz ran to his right. He said that Cannon "has failed us for not instituting conservative principles", consistently calling for a return to the core conservative principles of fiscal discipline, limited government, accountability and a strong national defense. He campaigned on stronger measures to fix legal immigration and remove the incentives for illegal immigration, an issue he continued to press throughout the campaign. The week before the convention, David Leavitt told The Salt Lake Tribune, "if Jason Chaffetz beats me [at the convention], Chris Cannon will be the congressman. Jason Chaffetz has no resources, no organization."
At the May 10, 2008, state convention, Chaffetz won 59% of the 3rd District's delegates to Cannon's 41%. He came a few hundred votes short of ending Cannon's career; had he tallied 60% of the delegates, he would have won the nomination without a primary. Leavitt finished a distant third, and immediately endorsed Cannon. Primary polls had shown a close race: a May 2008 poll showed Cannon leading Chaffetz 39% to 37% among likely voters, and June 2008 poll showed likely voters favoring Cannon by 44% to 40%. On June 24, 2008, Chaffetz defeated Cannon by a vote of 60% to 40%. It was considered an upset victory as Cannon was endorsed by George W. Bush, the state's two U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, and nearly all of the state Republican establishment. Cannon also outspent Chaffetz by 6 to 1. Cannon's primary defeat spurred worry among Republican incumbents.
Chaffetz faced Democrat Bennion Spencer in the 2008 general election, along with Jim Noorlander of the Constitution Party. Chaffetz's firm position against asking for earmarks created some controversy during the general election campaign. Chaffetz said, "Until there's reform, I will not ask for them. They're a cancer within the system and I want to extract them." Ultimately, Chaffetz won election with 66% of the vote. However, he had effectively clinched a seat in Congress when he won the Republican nomination. The 3rd is one of the most Republican districts in the nation; in 2008 it had a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+26.
Chaffetz announced at the start of the congressional term, in 2009, that he would be sleeping on a cot in his office, rather than renting a Washington, D.C., apartment. Chaffetz said, "I'm trying to live the example that it doesn't take big dollars in order to get where we want to go. I can save my family $1,500 a month by sleeping on a cot in my office as opposed to getting a fancy place that's maybe a little bit more comfortable." His family will continue to live in Alpine. "We are now $10 trillion in debt. $10 trillion. Those are expenses that have to be paid at some point", he said. If he can tighten his belt in these tough economic times, Chaffetz said, Congress should be able to as well. Chaffetz appeared on the "Better Know A District" segment of The Colbert Report on January 6, 2009, where he was defeated by Stephen Colbert in leg wrestling.
2010
Chaffetz won reelection to a second term, gaining 72% of the vote and defeating Democratic nominee Karen Hyer. The Salt Lake Tribune endorsed him in the race, writing "U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, has delivered as advertised for Utah's 3rd District."
2012
In early 2012 Chaffetz worked as a representative of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign during primary season, shadowing the campaign of rival Republican candidate Newt Gingrich to offer rebuttals to reporters following Gingrich speeches.Shawna Shepherd (January 27, 2012), Romney surrogates shadow Gingrich campaign , CNN.Jane Musgrave (January 27, 2012), Republican Jewish Coalition turns out in force for Gingrich in Delray, The Palm Beach Post He refused to endorse Haitian-American candidate Mia Love, who ran against incumbent 2nd District congressman Jim Matheson, for the newly created 4th District seat. Nationally, Love had received campaign support from 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, House Budget Committee Chairman and 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
In his own 2012 election, Chaffetz won election to a third term, gaining 76% of the vote and defeating Democratic nominee Soren Simonsen, an architect and chairman of the Salt Lake City Council. The campaign was a "low-key" race in which Chaffetz was heavily favored.Utah election results 2012: Hatch wins seventh term in Senate; Rep. Chaffetz reelected to House, Washington Post (November 6, 2012).Billy Hesterman, Chaffetz quietly moving toward re-election , Daily Herald (October 21, 2012).
2014
In the 2014 election, Chaffetz won election to a fourth term in a race in which he was again heavily favored.Jason Chaffetz wins race for Utah's 3rd Congressional District, KSTU (November 5, 2014).Whittney Evans, Brian Wonnacott Struggles In His Effort to Unseat Incumbent Jason Chaffetz, KEUR (October 16, 2014). He received about 72% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee, Brian Wonnacott.
2016
In the 2016 election, Chaffetz won a fifth term, defeating Democratic nominee Stephen Tryon, a former Overstock.com executive, with about 74% of the vote.Genelle Pugmire, Voters hand Jason Chaffetz fifth term in 3rd Congressional District race , Daily Herald (November 8, 2016).
Committee assignments Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (chairman) Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy