Fox News contributor and former GOP congressman Jason Chaffetz said Monday he was “surprised” retired House speaker John Boehner called him an “asshole” and “total phony” in a candid interview published Sunday.

“I held no ill will towards the speaker, but I was a little surprised to see that,” Chaffetz told Fox News of the colorful quotes about congressional Republican dynamics. “John Boehner supported my run for chairman of the [House] Oversight Committee. I wouldn’t have been the chairman if it weren’t for John Boehner.”