Chaffetz reportedly planning move to Fox News

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, heads to his car after an interview in Salt Lake City. Chaffetz, who has been rumored as a possible candidate for Senate or governor, said that after consulting with his family and "prayerful consideration, I have decided I will not be a candidate for any office in 2018." Salt Lake City, April 19, 2017 | Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – Could Utah’s Jason Chaffetz appear as a new face on the Fox News Channel? He has reportedly been telling some colleagues on the Hill he’s heading that way.

According to the Washingtonian, a Washington, D.C.-based cultural magazine, Chaffetz’s told at least two fellow Republican members of Congress, as well as four congressional aides, that he may play some “substantial role” over at the Fox News Channel.

Chaffetz could leave Congress for Fox News as soon as July, according to the Washingtonian’s sources.

“Let’s just say that when Jason told us he was headed to Fox, no one was surprised,” says one senior House Republican aide, according to the Washingtonian.

In part, this would match Chaffetz’s announcement last month last he wouldn’t be seeking reelection in 2018, and that he may step down before his current term ends.

There has been speculation Chaffetz would run for governor due to his congressional campaign site, jasonforthehouse.com, briefly redirecting to jasonforgovernor.com. Both websites have ceased to exist.

In his April 19 Facebook post announcing he wasn’t running again, Chaffetz did say he planned to go back to the public sector, yet offered no other hints as to his future plans.

The Washingtonian is not the first site to report Chaffetz may be making a move to the Fox News Channel. Utah Policy shined a light on the possibility last month. The political website noted Chaffetz’s news came out the same day it was reported the Fox News Channel was parting ways with long-time star host Bill O’Reilly.

O’Reilly, who had been with the Fox News Channel for 20 years, was dismissed from the news network amid allegations of sexual harassment that he has denied.

Should Chaffetz step down before his term ends, it will trigger a need for a special election for a new representative for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District.

Currently, the governor oversees such a process. However, members of the Utah Legislature want Gov. Gary Herbert to call a special session so they can hash out exactly how the process would take place.

Several legislators have said the process, as it is currently outlined by Utah law, is vague and undefined. They also believe it should not be left in the hands of one man – namely the governor – to dictate how that process works.

Only time will tell whether or not Chaffetz makes the move to the Fox News Channel or stays on in Congress till the end of his term.

Attempts by various media outlets for comment from Chaffetz’s office and Fox News were reportedly met with a decline in comment or no return of communication at the time.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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6 Comments

  • comments May 15, 2017 at 8:17 pm

    If our orange-faced buffoon-in-chief doesn’t clean up his ways sooner than later then the dems are gonna clean house w/ the 2018 elections. Chaffetz is probably making the right choice by bailing out now. I aint a fan, but the man is not stupid. And the buffoon makes everyone associated with the R-party look bad.

  • comments May 15, 2017 at 8:27 pm

    And if the greed-driven clown circus that is the republican party lets the the psychopathic paul ryan have his way and kill all the good parts of obamacare it’s really gonna stir things up. I realize a lot of wingnuts rail on about it here, but from what I hear a lot of people have benefited greatly from obamacare. Best thing could happen to mr. paul ryan is… I won’t even say because it’s not proper.

  • Proud Rebel May 15, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    I guess there should be no surprises here. But it kind of makes me think even less of FOX NEWS.

  • Not_So_Much May 16, 2017 at 7:11 am

    Well there isn’t a camera he doesn’t like and how could he get by on his lifetime pension of $174,000? Plus he’ll stay in DC and it’s bye-bye Utah.

  • Wolverine May 16, 2017 at 9:58 am

    I say good riddance to him. He hasn’t been doing his job with the House’s watchdog committee and I’m sure he’s looking for a way out of having to do his job against his (R) friends, with the ridiculousness going on in DC lately. I hate the hypocrisy that happens when any party is in charge of everything, they always look the other way and let their own people run amuck with no ethics nor rules and ignore any and all guidelines of appropriate behavior, even though it could be treasonous.

    I dislike that this seems to be the norm for public office now. You get elected and then ignore your constituents, (or just pay attention to the wants and needs of the ones that gave you the most campaign $$) and do whatever the H you want to do and screw the people that put you there in the first place. (Or are scared to face them in a public setting where they hold you accountable for ignoring them) There are very few true selfless public servants in public office anymore. Fox and Chaffetz deserve each other I think, they’re all looking to try to put the U.S. back into the 50’s and that era, quite honestly, was not a very good look for the U.S. He can give a non answer along with the best of them, so he’ll fit right in there I’m sure.

  • Henry May 16, 2017 at 12:49 pm

    Following in the footsteps of former congressman Joe Scarborough on MSNBC? LOL. If so, hope Jason doesn’t ditch his wife and hook up with his co-host like Morning Joe.

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