ALJACOBSLADDER.com     

DEDICATED TO WASTING SIX YEARS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS 

ON A REAL POLITICAL WITCH-HUNT WHICH PROVED NOTHING

DARRELL ISSA (R)

Darrell Edward Issa (/ˈaɪsə/; born November 1, 1953) was the Republican U.S. Representative for California's 49th congressional district, serving in Congress from 2001 to 2019. His district presently covers the northern coastal areas of San Diego County, including cities such as Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, and Encinitas, as well as a small portion of southern Orange County. From January 2011 to January 2015, he served as Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Issa served as CEO of Directed Electronics, which he co-founded in 1982. It is currently one of the largest makers of automobile aftermarket security and convenience products in the United States. Sporting a net worth of approx. 250 million dollars, Issa is the wealthiest currently serving member of Congress

Issa announced on January 10, 2018, that he would not seek reelection for his current seat in 2018.  Following the November 6, 2018 election, Democrat Mike Levin became the district's representative.

On September 19, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Issa as Director of the United States Trade and Development Agency.

Early life, education, and military service
Issa, the second of six children, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Martha (née Bielfelt) and William Issa, who sold trucks and ground valves.His father was a Lebanese American of the Maronite Catholic faith[citation neededand his mother is of German and Bohemian (Czech) descent and a Latter-day Saint. In 2006, he was one of four Arab-American members of Congress.

The family moved to the predominantly Jewish suburb of Cleveland Heights in the later years of his childhood. Many of his friends were Jewish, and Issa reportedly worked for a rabbi at one point. He became very familiar with Jewish culture.

In 1970, on his 17th birthday, Issa dropped out of high school and enlisted for three years in the Army.He became an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician assigned to the 145th Ordnance Detachment but that Issa's unit did perform security sweeps during the series. After the series, Issa was transferred to a supply depot, a result of receiving poor ratings.

Issa received a hardship discharge from the Army in 1972 after his father suffered a heart attack, and earned a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.

wice that year, he was arrested. In the first incident, he was indicted by a grand jury for an alleged theft of a Maserati, but prosecutors dropped the charge.

In the second incident, he was stopped for driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and a police officer noticed a firearm in his glove compartment; Issa was charged with carrying a concealed weapon. He pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of an unregistered firearm and was sentenced to six months' probation and a small fine. Issa has said he believes the record has since been expunged.

Issa attended Siena Heights University, a small Roman Catholic college in Adrian, Michigan, followed by Kent State University at Stark, where he enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He served in the Army Reserve from 1976 to 1980 and was promoted to the rank of captain.

From September 9–26, 1980, Issa served on active duty while training with the 1/77th Armor Battalion as an Assistant S-1. His evaluation report, by then-Lt. Col. Wesley Clark, stated "This officer's performance far exceeded that of any other reserve officer who has worked in the battalion" and "Promote ahead of contemporaries. Unlimited potential.

Shortly before his discharge from the Army in 1980, Issa was again indicted for grand theft auto. The prosecution dropped the case in August 1980. In 1981, Issa was in a car crash. The other motorist sued Issa for $20,000; they eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.[17]

Business career

Quantum/Steal Stopper  After leaving the military, Issa and his second wife, Kathy Stanton, moved back to the Cleveland area. According to Issa, he and his wife pooled their savings, sold their cars (a 1976 Mercedes and a 1967 VW Beetle) as well as a BMW motorcycle, and borrowed $50,000 from family members to invest in Quantum Enterprises, an electronics manufacturer run by a friend from Cleveland Heights that assembled bug zappers, CB radio parts, and other consumer products for other companies. One of those clients, car alarm manufacturer Steal Stopper, would become the path to Issa's fortune. It was struggling badly, and he took control of it by foreclosing a $60,000 loan he had made to it when its founder, Joey Adkins, missed a payment. Adkins remained as an employee.

Issa soon turned Steal Stopper around, to the point that it was supplying Ford with thousands of car alarms and negotiating a similar deal with Toyota. But early in the morning of September 7, 1982, the offices and factory of Quantum and Steal Stopper in the Cleveland suburb of Maple Heights caught fire. The fire took three hours to put out. The buildings and almost all the inventory within were destroyed. An investigation of the cause of the fire noted "suspicious burn patterns" with fires starting in two places aided by an accelerant such as gasoline.

Adkins said Issa appeared to prepare for a fire by increasing the fire insurance policy by 462% three weeks previously, and by removing computer equipment holding accounting and customer information. St. Paul Insurance, suspicious of arson and insurance fraud, initially paid only $25,000, according to Issa.

Main article: Directed Electronics - Steal Stopper soon regained its previous prosperity. As car theft rose in the United States during the 1980s, so did the demand for security devices. Rolls Royce, BMW, and General Motors joined Ford and Toyota as customers. In 1985, Issa sold the company to a California-based maker of home alarms, and moved to the San Diego suburb of Vista, where he has lived ever since, to work for the company. Shortly afterward he left to start Directed Electronics, Inc.

Issa was able to use his knowledge of the weaknesses in automotive security that car thieves preyed on to develop effective theft deterrents. Using sensors that, when armed, would detect motion and pressure on the body of the car, his device would create loud noise to draw attention to a would-be car thief, such as the car's horn honking or a speaker playing a recording with Issa's voice saying: "Protected by Viper. Stand back" and "Please step away from the car", warnings for DEI's signature product, the Viper car alarm. Sales grew from a million dollars in the company's first year to $14 million by 1989.

Early political career - Activism - With his involvement in consumer-electronics trade organizations, Issa became politically active. He went to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress and became one of California's largest individual campaign contributors to Republican candidates. In 1996 he was chairman of the successful campaign to pass California Proposition 209, a ballot initiative which prohibited public institutions in California from considering race, sex, or ethnicity in the areas of public employment, public contracting, or public education. He was instrumental in persuading the national Republican Party to hold its 1996 convention in San Diego.

ELECTION - ssa's first campaign for elected office was in 1998, when he sought the Republican nomination for United States Senate to run against incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer. He spent $10 million of his own money in his campaign, running against California State Treasurer Matt Fong, Congressman Frank Riggs, and three others. Fong's campaign raised $3 million from contributions and complained that Issa's wealth made for an uneven playing field (Issa had only $400,000 in contributions from others). An Issa spokesman countered that the money was needed to compensate for Fong's statewide name recognition. Issa lost the primary election to Fong, 45% to 40%; Riggs got 10% of the vote. A San Francisco exit poll suggested large numbers of Asian-Americans, who typically vote in the Democratic Party primary, had crossed party lines to strategically vote for Fong.

U.S. House of Representatives - Nine-term incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Ron Packard decided not to run for re-election in 2000, in California's 48th congressional district. Issa ran for Packard's seat, capitalizing on his name recognition from the 1998 Senate race. The district was primarily based in San Diego County but had small portions in Riverside and Orange counties. Issa finished first in the all-party primary with 35% of the vote, winning a plurality in all three counties; Republican State Senator Bill Morrow was second, with 24% of the votes. Issa won the November general election, defeating Democratic nominee Peter Kouvelis 61%–28%.

After redistricting, Issa's district was renumbered as the 49th District, and didn't include any of Orange County. Like its predecessor, the district was heavily Republican; it had a Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) of R+10. No Democrat filed against Issa that year.

Issa's district was significantly redrawn after the 2010 census. It lost its share of Riverside County, along with most of its share of inland San Diego County. These were replaced with a small portion of southern Orange County. The district was much more competitive on paper than its predecessor. The old 49th had a PVI of R+10, while the new 49th has a PVI of R+4.

The open primary in June 2014 was contested by Issa and two Democrats: Dave Peiser and Noboru Isaga. The top two vote getters, Issa (62%) and Peiser (28%), advanced to the general election.  In the November election Issa was elected to an eighth term, 60% to 40%.[43][44]

In the open primary in June 2016, Issa received 51% of the vote to 46% for Democrat Doug Applegate, a retired Marine Colonel Issa and Applegate both advanced to the general election in November.  In October, Applegate and Issa were seen by the Cook Political Report as equally likely to win the election.

Issa sent out a campaign mailer which featured a photograph of President Barack Obama signing a law. The mailer stated that Issa was "very pleased" that Obama signed the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act which Issa had co-sponsored. Obama responded to the mailer by saying that Issa's "primary contribution to the US Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped up investigations that have led nowhere." Obama said that, because of fading support for Donald Trump, Issa was now promoting his cooperation with the president despite Issa's previous stance that Obama was corrupt.

Issa responded by saying, "I've worked with the administration on good legislation where it was possible, called out wrongdoing wherever I saw it and will continue to do so.

Given the close margin of victory over Applegate in 2016, the election has been expected to be highly competitive On January 10, 2018, Issa announced that he would not run for re-election.

TENURE

Oversight committee - After the 2008 elections, Issa was appointed ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ahead of some more senior colleagues.

Chairman Edolphus Towns clashed with Issa when Issa sought to investigate Countrywide Financial, which had granted Democratic U.S. Senators Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad loans with especially favorable terms. Republicans had filmed Democrats leaving the room after a canceled hearing on Countrywide; Towns then changed the locks to bar Republicans from the room.

They clashed again when Issa sought a special prosecutor to consider whether the Obama administration had unlawfully offered a federal job to Joe Sestak as an inducement to refrain from running against Arlen Specter for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. Towns and Issa did cooperate on some matters, improving transparency of some federal agency reports, and a Government Accountability Office examination of the Federal Reserve.

Following the 2010 elections, Issa became chairman. He became a vocal advocate for investigations into the Obama administration, including the Troubled Assets Relief Program, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, corruption in Afghanistan, WikiLeaks, and the Food and Drug Administration, among other issues.[53] In 2010 he told the press that he wanted the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to hold investigative hearings "seven hearings a week, times 40 weeks."[54]

In February 2011, the Watchdog Institute, a nonprofit investigative reporting center based at San Diego State University, published an investigation alleging that as leader of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, he built a team which included staff members with close connections to industries that could benefit from his investigations.

On February 16, 2012, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services's regulation requiring insurance plans to cover birth control, which Issa believes is a violation of the religious freedom of people who oppose the use of birth control. Sandra Fluke was submitted as a witness by Democratic members, but Issa did not permit her to testify, saying her name was submitted too late,a claim which was challenged by Democrats.

Legislation

In 2013 Issa introduced the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2013 (H.R. 2061; 113th Congress). H.R. 2061 aimed to make information on federal expenditures more easily available, accessible, and transparent.[59] The bill was signed into law by Obama on May 9, 2014.[60]

Issa introduced the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2014 (H.R. 1211; 113th Congress) on March 15, 2013. It was a proposed bill that would have amended the Freedom of Information Act in order to make it easier and faster to request and receive information.

The bill would have required the Office of Management and Budget to create a single FOIA website for people to use to make FOIA requests and check on the status of their request. The bill would also have created a Chief FOIA Officers Council charged with reviewing compliance and recommending improvements.  It would also have required the federal agency to release the information it disclosed to the person who requested it publicly afterwards.

Issa argued in favor of the bill because it "shifts the burden of proof from the public requestor seeking information about a government agency...to the government being open and transparent unless it has a good reason to withhold."The bill passed unanimously in the United States House of Representatives on February 25, 2014. However, a nearly identical senate bill failed when it was tabled by House Speaker John Boehner.

Issa introduced the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (H.R. 1232; 113th Congress) on March 18, 2013. It is a proposed bill that would make changes and reforms to the current framework that manages how the federal government buys new technology. One of the requirements would be that the government develop a streamlined plan for its acquisitions.The bill would increase the power of existing Chief Information Officers (CIO) within federal agencies so that they could be more effective.

Each agency would also be reduced to having only one CIO in the agency, who is then responsible for the success and failure of all IT projects in that agency.[69] The bill would also require the federal government to make use of private sector best practices. The bill was intended to reduce IT procurement related waste. It passed the House in a voice vote on February 25, 2014. In December 2014 it was passed as a section of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015.[71] Issa also introduced and co-sponsored The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (Pub.L. 113-283, S. 2521; commonly referred to as FISMA Reform) and was signed into federal law by President Barack Obama on December 18, 2014.

On May 7, 2014, Issa introduced a simple resolution in the House that passed without objection Recommending that the House of Representatives find Lois G. Lerner, former Director, Exempt Organizations, Internal Revenue Service, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The resolution holds Lois Lerner, one of the central Internal Revenue Service officials involved in the 2013 IRS scandal, in contempt of Congress for her refusal to testify about the scandal before Issa's committee in response to a subpoena.

In July 2017, Issa introduced the CLASSICS Act to Congress in a bipartisan effort to empower artists thru the collection of royalties for the preceding three year period and also by ensuring their creative rights remain in force for pre-1972 recordings just as newer artists are guaranteed by current legislation. Issa has been a consistent cosponsor of the Fair Play Fair Pay Act as well; granting radio performance rights for musicians and record producers.

Bombing plot

In 2001, Issa's district office in San Clemente was targeted in an aborted bombing plot. Jewish Defense League leader Irving Rubin was arrested along with Earl Krugel in connection with the plot, which reportedly had focused on other targets before shifting to Issa's office.[12][80] Issa speculated that the cause of the incident may have been a column written by political commentator Debbie Schlussel in which she charged that Issa sympathized with Hezbollah despite its being listed by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, charges he denied.[12][81][82]

Ethics complaint and award

In September 2011, a liberal advocacy and lobbying group, American Family Voices, filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Issa, alleging he had repeatedly used his position of authority on the Oversight Committee to improperly intervene in dealings with Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and DEI Holdings, all of which Issa is associated with in some way. Issa's office rejected the allegations.

The year before that the Project on Government Oversight, a government watchdog group, awarded Issa with its Good Government Award for his contributions to government oversight and transparency. These included publicizing documents produced by the New York Federal Reserve Bank in response to a congressional subpoena, publicly exposing the NYFR's secret "back-door bailout" of AIG's counterparties, and cofounding a Transparency Caucus dedicated to "promoting a more open and accountable government through education, legislation, and oversight."

As of 1 March 2017, Issa has voted with his party in 98.1% of votes so far in the current session of Congress and voted in line with President Trump's position in 100% of the votes.[90][91] Issa voted with the majority of House Republicans 95% of the time during the 111th Congress.[92] 

9/11 first responders - In April 2008, the Daily News reported that Issa questioned federal expenditures pertaining to disability-compensation claims from 9/11 first responders. He was criticized for making comments that the federal government "'just threw' buckets of cash at New York for an attack 'that had no dirty bomb in it, it had no chemical munitions in it'" and asking "why the firefighters who went there and everybody in the city of New York needs to come to the federal government for the dollars versus this being primarily a state consideration."[93] In September 2009, Issa's office released a statement indicating that his comments had been misrepresented and that the questions he asked concerned the then still unpassed bill H.R. 3543, which, according to that statement "would give U.S. taxpayer dollars to those who did not suffer physical injury and did not work at or around Ground Zero.

2003 gubernatorial recall election - Issa came to national prominence in 2003 when he contributed more than $1.6 million to help fund a signature-gathering drive for the petition to recall California Governor Gray Davis. At the time he made the contribution, it was widely believed that Issa intended to place himself on the ballot to replace Davis. However, following the entrance of fellow Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger into the race, two days before the filing deadline, Issa announced that he would not run.  Issa later said his mission had been accomplished with Davis' recall and that he wanted to continue to represent his district in Congress and work towards Middle East peace.  At one point in the campaign he suggested people[clarification needed] should vote against recalling Davis unless one of the two leading Republican contenders dropped out, concerned that Schwarzenegger and fellow Republican Tom McClintock would split votes, resulting in Democratic Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante being elected to succeed Davis.  Issa endorsed Schwarzenegger in the election.

Abortion - Issa opposes abortion.

Bribes - In February 2017, he voted in favor of repealing a rule that required energy companies to disclose payments to foreign governments.

Cannabis - Issa has a "D" rating from NORML based on his cannabis-related voting record 

Donald Trump - Issa attracted attention for his close relationship with and strong support for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election.  Issa endorsed Trump in March 2016 and did not rescind his endorsement after the Donald Trump and Billy Bush recording surfaced.

In early February 2017, Issa expressed his support for a special prosecutor to look into President Donald Trump's ties to Russia. On 27 February, he walked back his previous comments.  Issa supported Trump's dismissal of FBI Director James Comey, saying "Comey had lost my confidence long ago."

As of May 2017, Issa had voted in line with Trump's positions 100 percent of the time; by October 2018, that number had fallen to 93.3%.

Education - He has been critical of No Child Left Behind, supporting a modification that would, in his words, "give states the freedom to adopt best practices for their students by returning flexibility and control to the educators and parents who are the real experts on education".

Environment

Issa rejects the scientific consensus on climate change and has stated there is no scientific consensus on climate and that scientists have falsified data.

 Before the 2010 election, Issa pledged that, if elected, he would probe "Climategate", which refers to the hacked Climatic Research Unit e-mails that climate change denialists falsely asserted showed scientific misconduct and fraud by climate scientists. Issa called President Obama's unwillingness to investigate Climategate "unconscionable" and an abdication of responsibility.

 In 2009, he voted against the American Clean Energy and Security Act. He opposes federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.  In February 2017, he voted to repeal a rule that required coal companies to restore streams and mined areas to their pre-development conditions.

The League of Conservation Voters has condemned Issa's actions related to the environment, stating, "As chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Congressman Issa is not only denying climate change, but also actively impeding federal action, pledging to hold hearings on the 'Politicization of Science,' and calling for greater oversight of the EPA's regulations of greenhouse gases."

 Foreign and defense policy

In 2001, Issa voted for the authorization of the PATRIOT Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. He voted for the reauthorization of the Patriot Act in 2005 after successfully amending it to require judicial notification, reporting requirements and facts justifying the use of roving survelliance at new facilities or places.

Issa is one of several Lebanese-Americans in Congress.  He has had a significant role in U.S. peace initiatives in the Middle East. He traveled to Lebanon and Syria in an effort to negotiate the end of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In 2003, he appeared at a Washington rally by Iranian groups protesting against the Islamic government in Iran.

 In March 2015, Issa supported the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, saying: "We must make it clear that we will support our allies and punish our enemies through steadfast resolve and decisive action."

 Healthcare - He favors repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and voted in support of the budget resolution to repeal Obamacare in January 2017.

On May 4, 2017, Issa voted in favor of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and passing the American Health Care Act. Issa made the tie-breaking vote to pass the AHCA.

Healthcare vote reactions - The organization San Diego Indivisible protests outside Issa's office weekly.  After Darrell Issa voted to pass the AHCA, about 800 people from the organization protested, decrying that a significant portion of Issa's voters use the ACA.  The group was also unhappy about a picture taken where Issa stood "front and center" for a photo op held in tribute to the success of the Republicans in passing the AHCA.

Instead of coming back to California to meet the protesters, Issa flew to an event in Florida to raise money, though he says he will meet with them at a later date.  The following Friday, over 100 people protested his desire to defund Planned Parenthood.

An organization called Save My Care spent $500,000 to release a series of attack ads against 24 House members who voted for the AHCA, including one about Issa.

LGBT issues - Issa opposes same-sex marriage.[98] He voted against an amendment, which ultimately failed narrowly, that stated that religious corporations, associations and institutions that receive federal contracts can't be discriminated against on the basis of religion. Democrats warn that such a provision could potentially allow discrimination against the LGBT community in the name of religious freedom.

Immigration - He has opposed attempts to ease restrictions on illegal immigration such as the "Blue Card" system, arguing that it provides amnesty for illegal immigrants. 

Online piracy - Issa opposed the Stop Online Piracy Act based on the amount of discretion the Department of Justice would have under the legislation as it is currently drafted.[129] He subsequently went on to cosponsor the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.

Russian hacking of 2016 election - Issa has stated that he believes Russia meddled with the 2016 election, but that he supports Trump's firing of FBI Director Comey (who was leading the investigation into the 2016 election meddling), and he believes the US should be focusing on other issues.

Science - Issa supports embryonic stem cell research and has voted to allow it.   He co-sponsored both the 2008 and 2009 versions of the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act and sponsored the Research Works Act (H.R. 3699) introduced in 2011, all of which aim at a reversal of the NIH's Public Access Policy, which mandates open access to NIH-funded research.[134]

Issa has periodically tried to de-fund grants offered by the National Institutes of Health. He alleged that the NIH was spending $5 million "on foreign alcoholics and prostitutes."The grants in question were on research on HIV/AIDS prevention. 

Tax reform - Issa voted no on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. He was one of two California Republicans to vote against the bill, alongside Dana Rohrabacher.Issa expressed concern that "many" of his constituents would face increased taxes under the proposal and that "Californians have entrusted me to fight for them. I will not make the incredible tax burden they already endure even worse."

 

Vaccine controversy - Issa has chaired House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearings on vaccines and their unsubstantiated relationship with autism.

 

Whistleblowers - Issa supported the All Circuit Review Extension Act (H.R. 4197; 113th Congress), a bill that would extend for three years the authority for federal employees who appeal a judgment of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to file their appeal at any federal court, instead of only the U.S. Court of Appeals.  Issa argued that "whistleblowers are a critical asset for congressional oversight" and that extending the pilot program would give Congress “more time to gauge the impact of an 'all circuit' review."

JAson Chaffetz

Jason Chaffetz   Chair of the House Oversight Committee  January 3, 2015 – June 13, 2017

Born  March 26, 1967 (age 51)   Los Gatos, California, U.S.

Political party  Democratic (before 1990)  Republican (1990–present)

Spouse(s)  Julie Johnson (m. 1991)

Children 3

Education  Brigham Young University (BA)

Jason E. Chaffetz (born March 26, 1967) is an American commentator and retired politician who served as the US Representative for Utah’s 3rd congressional district from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017.

During his tenure as a US Representative, his political positions included opposition to the Affordable Care Act, same-sex marriage, and the scientific consensus on climate change. He expressed skepticism over mandatory vaccinations and pledged to hold hearings to determine their safety. He was a vocal critic of the Obama administration's conduct in the 2012 Benghazi attack. He also had been critical of Planned Parenthood. He opposes net neutrality and held hearings to investigate the FCC's decision to adopt net neutrality rules in 2015.

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 Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration extensively, Chaffetz drew criticism after the 2016 election for declining to investigate certain potential conflicts of interest relating to President Donald J. Trump, and that of other individuals involved in his 2016 presidential campaign and subsequent presidential administration.

On April 19, 2017, Chaffetz announced he would not seek re-election in 2018, and on May 18, 2017, announced he would leave the House of Representatives on June 30, 2017.   Chaffetz signed on as a contributor for Fox News and began with the network on July 1, 2017.

 

 

Chaffetz was born in Los Gatos, California, and raised in California, Arizona and Colorado with his younger brother Alex. His father, John A. Chaffetz (1935–2012), was a businessman, and his mother, Margaret "Peggy" A. Wood, was a Christian Scientist who later became a Mormon, 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 gay couple Bill Bartek and Joe Baldassare, who competed on The Amazing Race.

Chaffetz's father was Jewish, and his paternal grandfather Maxwell (Max) Chaffetz (1909–1986), the son of immigrants from Russia, became an FBI Special Agent.  Chaffetz’s father's first wife was Kitty Dukakis  who later married Michael Dukakis, future Massachusetts Governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee. Chaffetz attended high school in California^[6] as well as Middle Park High School in Granby, Colorado,^[22] followed by Brigham Young University on an athletic scholarship, and was the starting placekicker on the Brigham Young University footballteam in 1988 and 1989.[1]^{[citation needed]} Over two seasons, Chaffetz converted 16 of 25 field goal attempts (64 percent) and 89 of 94 point-after attempts (95 percent).^[23] As of 2011, he still held the school's individual records for most extra pointsattempted in a game, most extra points made in a game, and most consecutive extra points made in a game.^[24] Chaffetz graduated from the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in 1989, with a B.A. in communications.^[25]

Raised Jewish, Chaffetz converted to Mormonism during his college years.^[26][27] 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.^[28] After college, Chaffetz worked for about a decade in public relations for a multi-level marketing company, Nu Skin International.^[29][30]

Political career[edit]

Early political career[edit]

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.^[31]In 2003, Chaffetz applied to be an agent in the United States Secret Service but was not accepted because "better qualified applicants existed."^[32] 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.^[33] In 2005, Chaffetz started Maxtera Utah Inc., a corporate communications and marketing company.^[34][35] In 2006, Chaffetz was appointed by Huntsman as a trustee for Utah Valley State College.^[36] 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[edit]

Elections[edit]

2008[edit]

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Utah, 2008 § District 3

On January 1, 2007, before the 110th Congress was sworn in, Jason Chaffetz announced that he was "testing the waters" for a Congressional run against six-term incumbent Chris Cannon, for the Republican nomination in the 3rd District.^[37][38]Nine months later, on October 1, 2007, Chaffetz formally entered the race for the Republican nomination. That same day, David Leavitt issued a press release announcing his campaign had raised $100,000 to challenge Cannon.^[39] Leavitt, brother to popular three-term Utah governor and Bush Administration cabinet member Mike Leavitt, more than doubled Chaffetz in fundraising for that quarter.^[40] A March 2008 Deseret News/KSL TV poll by Dan Jones & Associates released two days before the party caucuses showed Chaffetz with 4% support.^[41]

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."^[42][43]

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.^[17][44] 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."^[45]

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.^[46] Leavitt finished a distant third, and immediately endorsed Cannon.^[47] Primary polls had shown a close race: a May 2008 poll showed Cannon leading Chaffetz 39% to 37% among likely voters,^[48] and June 2008 poll showed likely voters favoring Cannon by 44% to 40%.^[49] On June 24, 2008, Chaffetz defeated Cannon by a vote of 60% to 40%.^[50] It was considered an upset victory as Cannon was endorsed by George W. Bush,^[51] 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.^[52] Cannon's primary defeat spurred worry among Republican incumbents.^[53]

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.^[54]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.^[55] 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."^[55] 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.^[55] 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.^[56]

2010[edit]

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Utah, 2010 § District 3

Chaffetz won reelection to a second term, gaining 72% of the vote and defeating Democratic nominee Karen Hyer.^[57] 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."^[58]

2012[edit]

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Utah, 2012 § District 3

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.^[59][60] 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.^[61][62]

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.^[63][64]

2014[edit]

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Utah, 2014 § District 3

In the 2014 election, Chaffetz won election to a fourth term in a race in which he was again heavily favored.^[65][66] He received about 72% of the vote,^[65] defeating Democratic nominee, Brian Wonnacott.^[66]

2016[edit]

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Utah, 2016 § District 3

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.^[67]

Chairmanship, House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, 2014 - 2017[edit]

In November 2014, Chaffetz won a four-way race to become the chairman of the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He was only the fifth Member of Congress in 89 years to become a full chairman after just three terms.^[68] He ran on a promise to emphasize reform, telling Politico that "the pitch I made to the steering committee is we really have to triangulate the problem if we're actually going to get to reform. In order to fix the problem long term, we can't just be the highlighter pen. We do a good job highlighting things, but we don't do a great job of fixing things."^[69]

Town hall protests in February 2017[edit]

Chaffetz faced protests and jeering at a town hall meeting in February 2017. Attendees questioned Chaffetz about his political positions and whether he would hold President Trump to account.^[70] Chaffetz later accused the crowd of being paid protesters,^[71][72] and said that he may now avoid providing a venue "for these radicals to further intimidate."^[70] Chaffetz's unsubstantiated claim attracted scorn and anger from the town-hall attendees, some of whom sent mocking "invoices" to Chaffetz.^[73]

Leave of Absence and 2017 Resignation[edit]

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Utah, 2018 § District 3

On April 19, 2017, Chaffetz announced via Facebook that he would neither seek reelection to the United States House of Representatives nor run for any other elected office in 2018. At that time, he also implied that he might not even finish out the current term.^[74]

In early 2017 Chaffetz took a month-long leave of absence from Congress after doctors had recommended "immediate" surgery to remove the "risk of infection" posed by orthopedic hardware installed in his foot following a ladder-related accident eleven years earlier.^[75]

On May 18 Chaffetz announced his retirement from the House, effective June 30, just 6 months into the two-year term.^[76] A special election was held to replace Chaffetz in 2017, costing approximately $675,000 from the counties involved.^[77]

Post-congressional career[edit]

On July 1, 2017, the day following his official resignation from Congress, Chaffetz became a contributor to Fox News ^[78]

In August 2017, it was announced that Chaffetz would be visiting the Institute of Politics (IOP) at the Harvard Kennedy School as a fall fellow.^[79]

Positions[edit]

Affordable Care Act[edit]

Chaffetz has repeatedly voted in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act.^[80] In March 2017 Chaffetz drew criticism for and later walked back on a statement comparing the cost of healthcare coverage to the cost of purchasing an iPhone. In an interview with CNN he said, "So rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care."^[81]

Budget and taxation[edit]

In June 2011, Chaffetz sponsored HR 2560, the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011. HR 2560 capped FY 2012 discretionary appropriations at $1.019 trillion, which was $31 billion below FY 2011 discretionary spending, and provided $126.5 billion for war spending. HR 2560 imposed a cap of $681 billion on "other" mandatory spending. Excluded from the $681 billion cap were Social Security, Medicare, veterans programs, and interest payments. HR 2560 gradually reduced federal government spending as a percent of gross domestic product from 24.1% in 2011^[82] to 21.7% in 2013 and 19.9% in 2021. HR 2560 also allowed for an increase in the debt ceiling of $2.4 trillion, as requested by President Obama, conditioned upon approval by both Houses of Congress of a qualifying Balanced Budget Amendment which would then be sent to the states for approval. HR 2560 passed the House of Representatives but was rejected by the Senate.^[83]

Chaffetz described Obama's attempts to introduce an inheritance tax on value over $5 million as "one of the most immoral things you can do".^[84]

District of Columbia legislation[edit]

Marijuana[edit]

In February 2015, Chaffetz threatened Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser with possible jail time if she implemented Initiative 71. The ballot initiative would legalize small amounts of cannabis in the district and was approved by about 64.87 percent of the voters in 2014.^[85] In a letter, Chaffetz asserted that D.C. officials who implemented the initiative would violate the Antideficiency Act (an 1884 act that bars government agencies from spending funds that have not been appropriated by Congress) because Congress had passed a Republican-supported appropriations rider providing that "none of the funds contained in this act may be used to enact any law, rule or regulation" to legalize or lessen the criminal penalty "for any Schedule I drug, including marijuana."^[85][86][87] Chaffetz's statement was rejected by Mayor Bowser, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, and D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier, who stated that I-71 was the law and implemented it as scheduled.^[86][87]

Other interference[edit]

In 2017, Chaffetz stated that he planned to seek a congressional vote to overturn D.C. legislation allowing terminally ill individuals to end their life.^[88] Local organizations decried Chaffetz's move, and District political leaders considered it an attack on the principle of District of Columbia home rule.^[88] Chaffetz also led the charge in an unsuccessful attempt to overturn the District of Columbia's legalization of same-sex marriage in 2009.^[89][90]

Energy and environment[edit]

Chaffetz has expressed his support for "an all-of-the-above energy strategy".^[91] However, he has criticized solar energy for having a negative impact on animals and wildlife.^[91]

Chaffetz rejects the scientific consensus on climate change.^[92][93] In his 2008 stump speech, Chaffetz claimed global warming was a "farce."^[6][94] He has voted in favor of legislation that would bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases.^[95]

Chaffetz advocates for the sale of millions of acres of publicly owned land to the highest bidder.^[96] In January 2017 Chaffetz introduced a bill, the Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act (H.R. 621), which would have transferred 3.3 million acres of public land in ten Western states from the federal Bureau of Land Management to state ownership.^[97][98] Chaffetz said that the land served "no purpose for taxpayers."^[99] On February 1, following a backlash, Chaffetz announced via Instagram that he was withdrawing the resolution.^{[99][100][101]}

Chaffetz has opposed federal protection for Utah's resident greater-sage grouse, a bird whose population has shrunk from 16 million 100 years ago to about 200,000 today. In 2007, a court ruled that political tampering by Julie A. MacDonald, then-deputy assistant secretary for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, had "tainted" the bird's assessment, and a new review was ordered. In March 2010, U.S. interior secretary Ken Salazar assigned the bird "warranted but precluded" status, paving the way for its future protection.^[102]

Chaffetz scored 0% in 2015, and 3% lifetime, on the National Environmental Scorecard of the League of Conservation Voters.^{[92][103][104]}

Foreign and defense policy[edit]

Afghanistan[edit]

Chaffetz criticized the surge of 30,000 troops President Obama authorized for the war in Afghanistan, saying that the United States does not have a clear policy or exit strategy.^{[105][106][107]}

Benghazi attack[edit]

Chaffetz has been vocal against the White House and State Department's handling of the September 11, 2012 attacks on the US Consulate compound in Benghazi. The Administration first stated the attacks were sparked by a spontaneous protest, then later stated the violence was a planned terrorist attack.

There was a very conscious decision made, I believe—my personal opinion is that they wanted the appearance of 'normalization' there in Libya and building up of an infrastructure, putting up barbed wire on our facility would lead to the wrong impression. Something that this administration didn't want to have moving forward.^[108]

He criticized United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice's initial comments calling them "somewhere between an outrageous lie and total falsehood."^[108]

Chaffetz has been criticized for politicizing the Benghazi incident, acknowledging in an interview with CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien that he had "voted to cut the funding for embassy security" and that House Republicans had consciously voted to reduce the funds allocated to the State Department for embassy security since winning the majority in 2010. "Absolutely," he said. "Look, we have to make priorities and choices in this country."^[109]

Homeland security[edit]

In December 2009, Chaffetz championed legislation to limit the use of full-body imaging scanners at airports unless a metal detector first indicated a need for more screening. The images have come under intense scrutiny from privacy groups for allegedly letting security administrators view images of undressed passengers.^[110]

Chaffetz and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have had a rocky relationship since he joined Congress. In his freshman year, in what critics have described as political grandstanding, he accused TSA agents at his hometown airport in Salt Lake City of unfairly targeting him to pass through a full-body scanning machine—a device Chaffetz believes is invasive. The Republican lawmaker said he believed he was targeted partially for his opposition to granting TSA screeners collective bargaining rights. A FOIA request by the Deseret News for video of the incident showed it to be a "tame and rather civilized exchange between the two."^[111] TSA's November 2009 report following their internal investigation primarily supported the Chaffetz version of the story.^[112] The union representing some of the officers said at the time that agents followed proper procedure and that an officer who had recently returned from military service in Iraq had not even recognized Chaffetz.^[113]

Regarding Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old girl who died in the custody of US Border Patrol on December 8, 2019, Chaffetz said on Fox News: "That should be the message, don't make this journey, it will kill you."^[114]

Nuclear waste[edit]

In November 2009, Chaffetz co-sponsored a bill in the House with Rep. Jim Matheson to block the importation of foreign nuclear waste into the United States, putting him directly at odds with Rep. Rob Bishop and Utah senators Bennett and Hatch, who had historically supported importing foreign nuclear waste into Utah with restrictions.^[115]

LGBT issues[edit]

Chaffetz opposes same-sex marriage.^[89] After the District of Columbia legalized same-sex marriage in 2009, Chaffetz led the charge in attempts to overturn the decision taken by mayor of DC.^[89]

On the one-month anniversary of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, Chaffetz chaired committee hearings on the First Amendment Defense Act, which would prevent the government from taking discriminatory action against people from taxpayer-funded entities and would protect tax exemption status of parochial organizations if they refused service to LGBT individuals on the basis of their religious beliefs.^{[116][117][118]} The American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP and Planned Parenthood Federation of America were among those who criticized him for it.^[116]

National Public Radio[edit]

Chaffetz has voted in favor of eliminating federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR).^[119]

Net neutrality[edit]

Chaffetz opposes net neutrality, the principle that Internet service providers should not be allowed to discriminate or charge differentially by user, content, website or platform.^[120] In March 2015, he held hearings as to whether the Obama administration had secretly influenced the Federal Communications Commission when it adopted rules to ensure net neutrality.^[121]

Planned Parenthood hearings[edit]

In a September 2015 hearing, Chaffetz questioned Planned Parenthood's president Cecile Richards on her salary,^[122] and displayed a chart that he claimed was taken from Planned Parenthood's annual report that showed Planned Parenthood-provided abortions going up while cancer screenings and preventative care going down.^[123] In fact, the chart was actually taken from a Web post by an anti-abortion group, Americans United for Life, and was presented in a misleading way, using questionable "dual-axis" charting.^[123] Experts in data presentation said this was an egregious example of using a chart to mislead; Alberto Cairo of the University of Miami, an expert in visual communication, said it was a "damn lie,"^[123] and Andrew Gelman, professor of statistics and political science, and director of the Applied Statistics Center at Columbia University, described the graph as a "truly immoral bit of graphical manipulation."^[124]

President Obama[edit]

In January 2010, Chaffetz was called upon to question Barack Obama when the president spoke to the House Republican Conference retreat in Baltimore.^[125] Chaffetz applauded Obama for some of the promises made during the campaign, but asked why promises to broadcast healthcare debates on C-SPAN, keep lobbyists out of senior positions, go line-by-line through the health care bill and end earmarks had not been kept. Video of the Q&A session received extensive media coverage.^{[126][127][128][129]}

Upon hearing that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, Chaffetz said he had "lost all respect for the award" and that "it used to be one of distinction, but [now] it is hard to give it any credibility."^[130]

President Trump[edit]

2016 presidential election[edit]

Following the Donald Trump Access Hollywood controversy, on October 7, 2016, Chaffetz was the first Republican member of Congress to rescind his endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.^[131] "I can't endorse somebody who acts and thinks like this."^[132] The Washington Post quoted Chaffetz as saying that he couldn't look his 15-year-old daughter in the eye and talk about what the GOP presidential nominee said, "It is some of the most abhorrent and offensive comments that you can possibly imagine."^[133] However, less than three weeks later, on October 26, 2016, he posted on Twitter that he was voting for Trump, while claiming that vote was not an endorsement: "I will not defend or endorse @realDonaldTrump, but I am voting for him."^[134][135]

Oversight Committee chairmanship during the Trump administration[edit]

As chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (which is tasked with investigating "waste, fraud, and abuse" in the executive branch), Chaffetz has been criticized for showing a disinterest in investigating President Trump's conflicts of interest and for failing to criticize him for not resolving ethical questions.^[136][137] Chaffetz has said that Trump's global financial ties don't merit a congressional investigation: "It's interesting, because under Section 208 of the criminal code, the president is exempt from almost every conflict-of-interest [law] ... I think the president has a duty and an obligation to live up to the Constitution and the law. And what he's required to do by law, it appears he's done."^[137] However, ethics experts have said that Trump's business conflicts and his failure to resolve them are "nakedly unconstitutional."^[137] Chaffetz also declined to investigate the circumstances surrounding the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who stepped down amid controversy over his communications with the Russian government before Trump took office. Chaffetz said that "it's taking care of itself" and that any investigation into Flynn was for the House Intelligence Committeeto conduct; Chaffetz also asked the Justice Department inspector general to investigate the leaks that brought Flynn's contacts with Russian officials to public light.^[138]

Some commentators criticized Chaffetz's perceived lack of interest in Trump administration oversight, especially in light of Chaffetz's zealous investigation of items such as the CDC's use of the Sid the Science Kid cartoon character as part of an anti-Zika virus campaign^[139] and a December 2016 tweet from Bryce Canyon National Park welcoming the designation of a new national monument.^[140]

Chaffetz has also attacked those who have brought attention to Trump's conflicts of interest. In January 2017, Chaffetz threatened to investigate the independent Office of Government Ethics (OGE) after the Office had questioned Trump's commitment to resolve conflicts of interest.^[141] According to the New York Times, "Chaffetz, in his letter, noted his committee's authority to reauthorize the office, a hint that it could perhaps be shut down."^[141] Richard W. Painter, a former ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, said that Chaffetz was trying to punish the OGE for criticizing Trump.^[141] A January 2017 poll by The Salt Lake Tribune and Hinckley Institute of Politics found that 65% of registered Utah voters supported a probe into Trump's conflicts of interest, compared to just 31% opposed.^[142]

Chaffetz said in January 2017 that he would continue his investigations into Hillary Clinton.^[143] In October 2016, when Clinton seemed likely to become the next President, Chaffetz said that he was already preparing for "years" of investigations of Clinton.^[144]

Michael T. Flynn[edit]

Chaffetz drew criticism again in January–February 2017 for his refusal to investigate White House National Security Adviser Michael T. Flynn's ties to Russia after it was revealed that U.S. counterintelligence agents were investigating him for his communications with Russian officials.^{[145][146][147]} The day after Flynn's resignation, a reporter asked Chaffetz whether he would investigate Flynn, and Chaffetz answered, "It's taking care of itself".^[147]

Social Security[edit]

In November 2011, Chaffetz announced a seven-point Social Security proposal.^[148] The seven provisions include using a chained CPI-W for calculating annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), increasing normal retirement age, adding progressive price indexing to primary insurance amount calculations, means-testing benefits for high-income beneficiaries, increasing the number of years for calculating average indexed monthly earnings, indexing special minimum benefits to wages instead of CPI, and increasing benefits by 5% for retirees when they reach age 85.^[149]

Vaccine controversy[edit]

See also: Vaccine controversy

Chaffetz has expressed concerns about mandatory vaccinations: "there are some documentaries out there, there is a lot of evidence out there, it happens in mass numbers ... if you look at what's happening with immunizations, I got to tell you, it really does concern me."^[150] He has called for investigations into the "adverse effects of immunizations".^[150]

When asked at a town-hall meeting in February 2017 what he would do if President Trump would enact policy on the basis of his belief that vaccines cause autism, Chaffetz said, "On the vaccines issue ... there have been a lot of people in my offices and other meetings that have really expressed concerns about the rise of autism but also whether there is a cause-and-effect with vaccines ... I don't want to say that vaccines are not safe, but at the same time, a lot of people have expressed concerns."^[151] Chaffetz then said that it was important to remove the backlog of cases in the "vaccine court" (the Office of Special Masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims), which administers a no-fault system for litigating vaccine injury claims, so as to be better able to answer questions that have been raised about the safety of vaccines.^[151]

Violence Against Women Act[edit]

In 2013, Chaffetz voted against re-authorizing the Violence Against Women Act.^[152]

JEFFERSON BEAUREGARD “JEFF” SESSIONS III

About as competent as an ass-kisser could be.  In danger from TRUMP, when Trump can’t manipulate him. But a loyal scumbag, playing all sides.   His other problem is that as a politician, he cannot separate his secular beliefs from the law and rate a big “O” in the Church and State part of the Constitution.   If anything happens to Trump, with VP Mike Pence in the drivers seat, we will have to change our name to the United States of Jesus and elect a new Protestant Pope.

HATCHING
Born December 24, 1946, is an American politician and lawyer who is the 84th Attorney General of the United States.  Sessions served as the junior United States Senator from Alabama from 1997 until 2017, and is a member of the Republican Party and is superb at lying and has a masters degree in prejudice.  

Jeff fits well into the TRUMP regime and is awarded the prestigious Scumbag Award five level  (*****)  which is only given to those homophobic white haired older Congressmen and Senators.  You have to claim to be a Christian, using the bible as a tool for prejudice against those with gender issues.

From 1981 to 1993, he served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. Sessions was nominated in 1986 to be a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, but his contentious nomination failed. 

Sessions elected as Attorney General of Alabama in 1994, and to the US Senate in 1996, being re-elected in 2002, 2008, and 2014.  The joke going around was sooner or later when they learn too read in Alabama, Sessions was done.

His position is a champion in the war against gay rights.  He is a gender believer with the right audience, homophobic.  And speaks about rights from the other side of his mouth when necessary.

SAMUEL BEHRENS WROTE IN HIS BOOK
What I have found in my biblical research, using the most conservative theology, is absolutely mind-boggling. What so called 'Christians' have done is to hide the truth about what God has said about people who are attracted to those of the same gender..... If you are a Christian and you are anti-gay, you are also anti-God. 

Your ignorance will no longer count when you stand before God on that great judgment day in heaven. Because of your disdain and hatred of homosexuals, because of your ignorance, if you do not repent and pray to Jesus Christ for forgiveness you will find yourself in the fiery, burning pit of hell.

 

SCUMBAG EFFORTS
During his time in Congress, Sessions was considered one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate. He opposed legal and illegal immigration and amnesty and supported expansion of the border fence with Mexico. 

He supported the legislative efforts of the George Bush administration, including the 2001 and 2003 tax cut packages.  
He supported the Iraq War.  
He proposed national amendment to ban same-sex marriage. 
He opposed the establishment of the Troubled Asset Relief Program. He opposed the 2009 stimulus bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act. 
As the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, he opposed all three of President Obama's nominees for the Supreme Court.
An early supporter of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, (Secret ServiceCode :  Small Shit-Talking Dog) Sessions was considered as a possible Vice-Presidential nominee, but Indiana governor Mike Pence was ultimately selected for the ticket. 

In November 2016, then-President-elect Donald Trump nominated Sessions for US Attorney General. He was confirmed on February 8, 2017, with a 52–47 vote in the Senate, and was sworn in on February 9 after long and contentious debates by normal people in Congress who detest scumbags. 

(CNN)More than 600 members of the United Methodist Church have issued a formal complaint against Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a fellow church member, charging that his "zero tolerance" policy on immigration violates church rules and may constitute child abuse. Children and parents are being separated at the border. Here's what we know

Instead, the 640 Methodists charging Sessions, who include both clergy and lay members, have asked for a "reconciling process that will help this longtime member ... step back from his harmful actions and work to repair the damage he is currently causing to immigrants, particularly families and children." 

The complaint is addressed to the pastors at two churches Sessions attends, in Mobile, Alabama, and Clarendon, Virginia. It charges Sessions with violating church rules or principles on child abuse, immorality, racial discrimination and "dissemination of doctrines" contrary to those of the United Methodist Church. 

"While other individuals and areas of the federal government are implicated in each of these examples," the complaint reads, "Mr. Sessions -- as a long-term United Methodist in a tremendously powerful, public position -- is particularly accountable to us, his church." 

The complaint was spearheaded by the Rev. David Wright, a chaplain at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. 

"The goal is to hopefully get Attorney General Sessions to talk to his pastors and church leaders, bring his position in line with the church's doctrines and social principles, and end the damage he is causing," Wright said.

Wright said he does not want Sessions to be removed from the church. "That would be a tragedy. We are a big-tent denomination." A 'publicity stunt'? 

Founded 50 years ago, the United Methodist Church has about 7 million members in the United States and is one of the country's most ideologically diverse Protestant denominations. Hillary Clinton and former President George W. Bush are both members. 

The Rev. William Lawrence, a former professor at Perkins School of Theology and an expert on the United Methodist Church, said it would be "highly unusual" for any charges against Sessions to move beyond the stage of reconciliation, in which Sessions, his local pastor and his local bishop would seek a "just resolution" to settle the matter. 

"In 50 years of the United Methodist Church, I am not aware of any complaint against a lay person moving beyond that stage," Lawrence said. Most often, church trials in recent years have been used for pastors who break church rules by officiating at same-sex weddings. 

What does the Bible verse Jeff Sessions quoted really mean? 

A spokeswoman for Sessions said the attorney general has no comment. 

Mary Catherine Phillips, a spokesperson for Bishop William Graves, who leads the area that includes Sessions' congregation in Mobile, Alabama, said he has no comment. Phillips noted that Graves released a statement on Monday decrying the "unjust acts" of separating children from their parents at the border. Sessions' United Methodist pastors in Alabama and Virginia, where he now lives, did not immediately respond for a request for comment. 

Mark Tooley, a United Methodist and president of the conservative Institute on Religion & Democracy, called the charges a "publicity stunt."   "It's not going to go anywhere in terms of church action, but it is getting a lot of attention,"  Tooley said. "If they stopped to think about it, most United Methodists would probably be very troubled by the idea that someone who dissented from the political statements of the church could face a formal complaint or even expulsion." 

Trump administration officials have said they do not want to separate children from their parents, but have also defended the policy as it has come under growing scrutiny. A number of religious groups, including Southern Baptists and Catholic bishops, have called for an end to the practice.

 

CHURCH AND STATE VIOLATION
In a remarkable speech on Thursday, Sessions responded to the criticisms from “ church friends,” citing Romans 13, a passage in the New Testament that calls on Christians to obey secular authorities.   

What a frickin front and acknowledgement of the code of humanity. ”I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order.”   

"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established," the passage says. “ he authorities that exist have been established by God. 

Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."

Romans 13 has been cited by Nazi sympathizers and apartheid-enforcers, slave owners and loyalists opposed to the American Revolution. Modern Christians have wrestled with how to apply the passage to issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and taxes.  Obviously an ass-hole like Beauregard Sessions gets it wrong again.

 

SUFFER THE CHILDREN
The United Methodists' complaint against Sessions lists four charges: child abuse, immorality, racial discrimination and "dissemination of doctrines contrary to the standards of doctrine of the United Methodist Church." 

On the last charge, the complaint accuses Sessions of "misuse of Romans 13 to indicate the necessity of obedience to secular law.”  What does the Bible verse Jeff Sessions quoted really mean?  Doctors saw immigrant kids separated from their parents. Now they're trying to stop it.

As of May 31, the government had separated nearly 2,000 children from parents at the border since implementing a policy to that effect on April 19, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Friday.

The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics told CNN the practice is "nothing less than government-sanctioned child abuse."

Administration officials deny that characterization.  "We have high standards," Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said. "We give them meals and we give them education and we give them medical care. There are videos, there are TVs.” And no frickin love, you are really stupid to think we see right through you.  Did the Reaper (TRUMP) make you change your mind after you did speak out against the separation ?  We rate those who falter with no conscience or compassion as scumbags....

 

TREY GOWDY

FAKE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS

THE BASTARD BITCH OF BENGHAZI POLITICS

Harold Watson "Trey" Gowdy III is an American attorney, politician and former federal prosecutor serving as the US Representative for South Carolina's 4th congressional district since 2011. A Republican, he is a member of the Tea Party movement. I say enough political partisanship with all the fake Congressional hearings to get to the bottom of nothing.  I’m talking about Benghazi.  Enough we have heard through several investigations few changes from what really happened.  

Seven times the GOP made Benghazi a badly written political hack job instead of the tragedy it really was. Those trials against Hillary should have resulted in the real trials of the false show-like committee and their assault for political gain.  

TRUTH - The protection of the ill-fated four were inadequate to begin with, and they walked into a war zone. 

Where was the Marine guard unit assigned to Ambassador level diplomats.  They were attacked, simple, by any one of forty factions vying for power and attempting to grab the powerful weapon supplies held by Gaddafi, thats what happened.  We didn’t expect it and got blindsided.  

When do we NOT send a  a contingent of Marines whose task it is to protect said diplomat unless said diplomatic team or person was ;  Not exactly invited;  No one in charge from the host provided protection, chaos, or we were there for reasons other than sitting round the campfire singing Kumbaya.   Bingo!  SAM’S, specifically shoulder fired Russian surface to air missiles was the prize those dissident factions wanted. Ans ISIS sent representatives to get them

It was  a total CIA operation and had little to do with the State Department.   A true state department function would have been well protected and ample backups provided and in place.  Remember the attacks on Libya and Gaddafi were a British-French Joint Operation under NATO. It was the missiles Gaddafi had and who would claim them, thats the prize, believing otherwise, shows politics are a poor excuse for stupid assessments.  

Think...forty tribes in Libya, held in check by Gaddafi the biggest and most homocidal nutcase tribe leader suddenly had their yokes removed, and the internal strife began with ISIS sitting on the sidelines looking for opportunity.  What would ISIS do with those surface to air missiles?  Ask Putin, his nuts shot an airliner with 220 aboard for no reason and got away with it.

Simple, confusion, no declared enemy, it was mortar rounds and followed up by terrorists with help being beyond the reach to save them.  No one could have gotten there.  The legion of critics who have made the charge and looking to hang someone for the loss are playing politics as only the Republican machine can to twist the truth and stall the government.

When the State Department requested the funding and support for increasing security around the world at our facilities, it was the obstructionist GOP who voted it down, Mr. Gowdy who is just another critic and partisan SCUMBAG contributed nothing good to the whole situation.

The House’s Benghazi Select Committee issued a draft Tuesday of its long-awaited report on the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the US diplomatic compound and CIA facility in Benghazi, Libya.  The New York Times succinctly summarized the committee’s findings:

Ending one of the longest, costliest and most bitterly partisan congressional investigations in history, the House Select Committee on Benghazi issued its final report on Tuesday, finding no new evidence of culpability or wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton in the 2012 attacks in Libya that left four Americans dead.

IT WAS A LOAD OF INSINUATIONS, BULLSHIT,  INNUENDOES, FALSEHOODS, 
AND POLITICS SET FORTH UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THIS MAN... 

In a continued embarrassment for the committee’s chairman, South Carolina Republican Rep. Trent Gowdy, one of the principal “New revelations” touted by the committee in an effort to justify its millions of dollars in spending was something that the public has known for years.

The committee reported that an antiterrorism team on its way to Tripoli to respond to the crisis was delayed for three hours as the team changed in and out of military uniforms. Far from a new information, this was raised by Martin Dempsey, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and by then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee in 2013. It was also discussed in the House Armed Services Committees report on Benghazi early the next year. 

Other “new” discoveries of Gowdy’s — that Hillary Clinton was considering a trip to Benghazi in October 2012, that the military did not deploy to Benghazi on the night of the attack, and that an anti-Muslim YouTube video was discussed during a secure video conference the night of the attack — had all been publicly reported years ago. 

Former House Speaker John Boehner did not create the Benghazi Select Committee to slightly advance our understanding of the 2012 attack. Instead, Republicans created the committee because they were under pressure from the far Right to use the investigative power of Congress to implicate the Obama administration, and Hillary Clinton in particular, in wrongdoing.

It was obvious from the start, despite Gowdy’s protestations to the contrary, that the select committee was simply a political tool of the far Right — one that would finally confirm their worst suspicions and bolster their conspiracy theories about Clinton, thus harming her chances in the upcoming presidential election.  Unfortunately, it worked.  terrorists with help being beyond the reach to save them.  No one could have gotten there.  The legion of critics who have made the charge and looking to hang someone for the loss are playing politics as only the Republican machine can to twist the truth and stall the government.

When the State Department requested the funding and support for increasing security around the world at our facilities, it was the obstructionist GOP who voted it down, Mr. Gowdy who is just another critic and partisan SCUMBAG contributed nothing good to the whole situation.

FORTUNATELY, TRENT GOWDY AND PAUL RYAN ARE RETIRING AT THE END 
OF THEIR TERMS... GOOD RIDDANCE.   BUT...WHO WILL CLEAN 
UP THE LIES AND ACCUSATIONS AND MISTRUST THEY CREATED  ?