Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, isn’t endorsing any Republican presidential candidates just yet, but that didn’t stop him from critiquing the 2016 field.
While sitting down with Bryan Schott, managing editor of UtahPolicy.com, the Utah Republican said he thinks Florida Sen. Marco Rubio “probably has the best shot of beating” Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
When asked if he’s picked a horse in the 2016 race, Chaffetz demurred.
“I’ve kind of stayed out of this one. I’m still crying every morning that Mitt Romney is not the president,” he said.
Chaffetz said he spent about 100 days campaigning for Romney, who was the Republican nominee in 2012 and lost to President Obama in the general election.
“I don’t know that endorsements really matter at this point,” he said, adding he would not make any endorsements “at this point.”
On GOP front-runner Donald Trump, he said, “Hey if [Trump] wins, he wins. I think people are attracted to him for a variety of reasons. They want results. They want somebody who is going to blow through the red tape. Who actually will get something done in Washington, D.C., And to that extent, more power to him.”
“I like a lot of what he’s saying,” Chaffetz said, but added that sometimes Trump goes too far. In particular, Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S. “way over the top and uncalled for.”
“I totally disagree with that,” he added.
