Before the Republican members of the House of Representatives vote on their party’s nominee for Speaker of the House they should ask Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) to explain his long-term association with former Eagle Mountain City Mayor Heather Jackson. When she was mayor Jackson exemplified the type of government waste and corruption that Chaffetz has opposed while serving as the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

During the 2010-2013 period Jackson and her employees spent at least $42k on food for themselves, their coworkers, their friends and their families at area restaurants and markets. They also spent thousands more on clothing, gift cards, and other dubious purchases.

Chaffetz could not have made this appointment in complete ignorance of her spending habits because he was a participant in at least one of the city’s many “pig fests” that took place in a VIP tent on the city’s rodeo grounds according to witnesses. It offered unlimited food for the city’s employees, their friends, their families and VIP guests. This tent was not open to the public and it served no legitimate government purpose.

A quick summary of her administration’s food and clothing purchases can be found at:
http://eagleshare.org/food-clothing.pdf

A more complete analysis of her administration’s corruption can be found at:
www.eagleshare.org/pigs-in-suits

In an October 4, 2015 email Chaffetz wrote his constituents, “We should stand united against government’s abuse of power and hold those responsible accountable by insisting they be fired and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Any congressman that advocates firing and prosecuting those who abuse government power but also hires a disgraced mayor with a documented history of misusing public funds to be his campaign manager is not qualified to become the next Speaker of the House or third in line for the U.S. presidency.