President-elect Donald Trump will be held to the same standards the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform applied to President Barack Obama, according to its chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz.
“Of course, that’s our job and responsibility,” Chaffetz told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Our committee was founded in 1814 to oversee all expenditures by the executive branch, no matter who the president is.”
His committee devoted significant time to scrutinizing the Department of State’s records retention practices related to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of private email addresses and a home-brew server. Chaffetz said that focus continues despite Clinton’s loss to Trump. (RELATED: State Dept. And White House Coordinated To ‘Crush’ Clinton Email Coverage)
“Just because there was a political election doesn’t mean we let off the gas pedal,” said Chaffetz, who is waiting on the Department of State and Department of Justice to complete their responses to multiple committee requests for Clinton-related records.
“It never was a politically motivated investigation and it continues to still be valid. Justice has a blindfold,” Chaffetz added. “So I don’t presuppose what the outcome is going to be, but I do expect to have all the documents. And I do think the new administration will be better and more responsive to providing us those documents.”
The oversight panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings, asked Chaffetz in a Monday letter to initiate an investigation into Trump’s business dealings and investments.
“Now that Republicans control the White House and Congress, it is incumbent on you and other Republicans to conduct robust oversight over Mr. Trump — not for partisan reasons, but to ensure that our government operates effectively and efficiently and combats even the perception of corruption or abuse,” Cummings wrote.
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