Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, announced Wednesday that will not run for re-election in 2018, a surprise decision from the congressman who raised his profile investigating the administration of President Barack Obama.
"After long consultation with my family and prayerful consideration, I have decided I will not be a candidate for any office in 2018," he wrote on Facebook. "I have long advocated public service should be for a limited time and not a lifetime or full career. Many of you have heard me advocate, 'Get in, serve, and get out.' After more than 1,500 nights away from my home, it is time. I may run again for public office, but not in 2018."
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, announced Wednesday that will not run for re-election in 2018, a surprise decision from the congressman who raised his profile investigating the administration of President Barack Obama.
"After long consultation with my family and prayerful consideration, I have decided I will not be a candidate for any office in 2018," he wrote on Facebook. "I have long advocated public service should be for a limited time and not a lifetime or full career. Many of you have heard me advocate, 'Get in, serve, and get out.' After more than 1,500 nights away from my home, it is time. I may run again for public office, but not in 2018."
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What's Next For Jason Chaffetz?
Chaffetz is chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the panel tasked with oversight of the executive branch. He launched investigations into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, and he also led the probe into then-IRS Commissioner Lois Lerner.
Chaffetz has come under pressure, mostly from Democrats, to investigate the Trump administration, including Russia's involvement in the presidential election. But Chaffetz has declined, saying the intelligence committees are better equipped. He has also been reluctant to look into Trump's potential conflicts of interest pertaining to his businesses.
Chaffetz had been discussed as a possible candidate for Utah's Senate seat in 2018 if Sen. Orrin Hatch decides to retire. But his statement Wednesday ruled that out.
He didn't, however, rule out a run for governor in 2020. "Who knows after 2018?" he told NBC News of his political future.
"I may very well come into politics once more," Chaffetz said on MSNBC's "For the Record With Greta Van Susteren." But he said: "I've got to find the right balance in my life. That balance has gotten somewhat out of whack."
Source: Continue nbcnews
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