Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, offered measured praise this week for Republican front-runner Donald Trump, saying that he likes a lot of what the businessman has said on the campaign trail.
"I like a lot of what he's saying," Chaffetz told UtahPolicy.com this week. "Sometimes, like he said that there should be a religious litmus test on entering the country. I happen to think that's way over the top, uncalled for, I totally disagree with that. But, there are a lot of things that he says that I actually really do like, that I think other people should be talking about and, how he does it is his own style. There's only one Donald, that's for sure."
Earlier this month, Chaffetz publicly denounced Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the country, saying in a visit to mosque Trump's comments were "intolerance that should not stand."
"If he wins, he wins," Chaffetz said earlier in the interview. "I think people are attracted to him for a variety of reasons. They want results. They want somebody who's gonna blow through the red tape; who actually will get things done in Washington D.C. And to that extent, more power to him."
Still, Chaffetz said, it is unclear if Trump supporters will eventually go to the polls.
"There's a sobering moment when we turn in to the new year and people start to think about whether or not they'll actually check that box, and you know, it starts in Iowa before we know it, and then off to New Hampshire and it's a whole different game after that," he said.
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