PHILADELPHIA—Rep. Jason Chaffetz runs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and holds the subpoena power that comes with it. Judging by the rigor with which he oversaw the Obama administration, there are already enough grounds for oversight inquiries into many aspects of the Trump administration, on everything from its gagging of executive agencies to its political review for scientific studies to Trump’s continued use of an unsecured cellphone from which he pops off about various segments he’s seen on cable news. And so forth.
He does not, however, seem particularly interested in holding inquiries on these matters, based on his answers to reporters’ questions outside the GOP retreat in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Take the news, as the Associated Press reported late Wednesday afternoon, that the “Trump administration is mandating that any studies or data from scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency undergo review by political appointees before they can be released to the public.” The AP, after some pushback, later softened its story to read that the “Trump administration is scrutinizing studies or data published by scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency, and new work is under a ‘temporary hold’ before it can be released.”
“I have not heard that, I haven’t seen that, and you’re the first person to bring that up,” Chaffetz told me. This sounds about right; the news came out while members of the House GOP were in meetings.
“But the White House reviewing what goes out from the administration?” he continued. “That happens.”
On the president’s supposed plan to investigate nonexistent mass voter fraud, Chaffetz said his committee would stay clear of it, since he doesn’t think there’s much to Trump’s argument. He had no qualm, however, with Trump’s putting the Justice Department on the case if that’s what he wants to do.
“If the president sees that, he’s got 100,000 people [at the Justice Department] he can task with doing that. … That’s his decision to make,” Chaffetz said. “I’m the chairman of the Oversight Committee. My decision? I’m not planning on spending resources looking at that.”
Devotion of significant executive branch resources to a witch hunt sparked by the president’s personal insecurity at not winning the popular vote, though, does indeed seem like a matter for legislative overseers tasked with protecting federal taxpayer dollars. When a reporter followed up by noting that he had oversight over good uses of taxpayer dollars, Chaffetz sighed. “I think I’ve given you my position.”
Chaffetz was asked whether he was concerned that Trump was still using his private phone for conversations.
“I haven’t thought about that,” he said. “I don’t know what Barack Obama did as president.”
Several people immediately pointed out that he used a secure, official BlackBerry.
“Yeah, BlackBerry, what’s that?” Chaffetz joked, and the conversation moved on.
