House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz claims Trump can't be corrupt because he's already rich

Rep. Jason Chaffetz is not concerned about Trump trying to make money off of being president.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The House Oversight Committee is tasked with holding the White House accountable — basically, "rooting out conflicts of interest, exposing abuses of power, and generally causing headaches for President Trump," as The Atlantic puts it. Naturally it is an uncomfortable job for the Republican chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who has found himself acrobatically dismissing charges against Trump.

Take, for example, allegations that Trump is using the presidency to make money for himself and his family. It's a serious concern — Kellyanne Conway was flagged by the Office of Government Ethics for telling TV viewers to "buy Ivanka's stuff," and Trump's Argentinean hotel was suddenly green-lit following his election, after long being held up. To those charges, Chaffetz simply told The Atlantic Trump is "already rich. He's very rich. And I don't think he ran for this office to line his pockets even more. I just don't see it like that."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.