Rep. Jason Chaffetz Held a Town Hall With His Constituents Last Night. It Didn’t Go Well.

Powerful GOP House Oversight Chair Ducks Out of Meeting an Hour Early After Being Questioned by Cancer Survivor and Retired School Teacher

U.S. Congressman Jason Chaffetz is a very powerful Republican on the Hill, but in his Utah district that power meant nothing to the well over 1000 constituents who showed up to his town hall. Anger at the Chairman of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee was so palpable, Chaffetz walked out an hour early.

Chaffetz represents Utah’s 3rd congressional district, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. It includes the cities of Provo and Orem, which is known as “Family City USA,” and in fact it has been rated one of the top places to raise a family.

So, what happened?

It looks like America happened.

Chaffetz spent the past eight years investigating Hillary Clinton, Benghazi, and Planned Parenthood. He’s turned up pretty much nothing. Yet, even after the election, he promised to continue investigating Hillary Clinton, and he’s made clear he will not hold hearings to investigate President Donald Trump.

Hundreds made it inside the auditorium, while reportedly 1000 outside could not get in. Many said they had never attended a town hall before.

Here’s a retired teacher schooling the Republican Congressman on doing his job.

She says that she’s rarely had problems with students because she laid out the ground rules and the consequences for violating them. “But once in a while at the beginning of the year, after just two or three weeks, I could look at a kids and thing, ‘You’re going to be a problem,'” she said, as the crowd chuckled.

“It’s been two or three weeks,” she continued, as the crowd broke into laughter. Then cheers and applause, holding up signs that say, “agree.” And then, a standing ovation.

“What I would do is I would draw a line in the sand,” she continued, after the audience calmed down. “I would say, ‘Pass this line, and this is the consequence. For the President of the United States, the consequence is impeachment,” she added, to more cheers. 

“What is your line in the sand?” she asked.

Chairman Chaffetz, frankly, looking weak and timid, tried to defend his “line in the sand,” but he made clear he’s going to defend Trump.

Then there was the cancer survivor who demanded to know why Chaffetz is trying to kill Planned Parenthood. She’s single mom with three small children, who was working two jobs to put herself through college. She graduated college summa cum laude.

She had no health insurance. The moment she mentioned Planned Parenthood, where she receives her vital cancer screenings, the audience cheered and applauded.  

“So sir, can you please tell me, why you are trying to take that vital health provider away from women like me?”

This is amazing.

These are amazing women.