This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz was the first sitting member of Congress to yank his endorsement from Donald Trump after a video emerged in early October, showing the Republican nominee bragging that he could kiss and grope women without their consent.
But, less than three weeks later, the Utah congressman has decided that he will cast his ballot for Trump.
"I will not defend or endorse Donald Trump, but I am voting for him," Chaffetz said Wednesday evening. "Hillary Rodham Clinton is that bad. Clinton is bad for the United States of America."
Why didn't he explore an alternative like independent conservative Evan McMullin, who is competitive in Utah, or Libertarian Gary Johnson? Because the 3rd District congressman said only Clinton and Trump have a viable chance to win the White House.
"No one else has a chance to become president," he said. "It is going to be one or the other."
Chaffetz isn't the only Utah Republican to gravitate back into Trump's camp on Wednesday. Rep. Chris Stewart, who called for Trump to get out of the race after the "Access Hollywood" video emerged, told the St. George News he's struggled with how to vote.
"But at the end of the day our choices are Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. These other candidates are just not going to win," Stewart said. "It really is a binary choice and given that choice it is very clear to me what is better for our country. It is very clear that Donald Trump is a better choice than Hillary Clinton."
While Stewart is more emblematic of the average member of Congress, Chaffetz is in a prime position to challenge whomever wins the presidency. He's the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has investigated Clinton for using a private email server when she was secretary of state. And he has promised a series of further investigations if Clinton, who is the clear front-runner, wins the presidency.
The Clinton campaign argues that this is a sign Chaffetz is ignoring the public's desire for bipartisan compromise.
"This is exactly what Americans hate about Washington," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon told NBCNews. "Before the election has even taken place, Jason Chaffetz is already planning to further abuse his office and waste more taxpayer dollars on political witch hunts against the potential president-elect."
Chaffetz, like many Utah Republicans, has also been lukewarm toward Trump, a brash New Yorker, whose policies and personal style have left him unpopular in Utah.
Chaffetz announced his intent to vote for Trump in late June, though he qualified it by saying he'd use his chairmanship as a check on Trump's more controversial ideas.
"I'm going to be a kid in a candy store" if Trump is elected and pursues such proposals as restricting Muslims' entry to America, Chaffetz said. "Let me loose. We're going to have some very interesting hearings and more bipartisan support than ever if that happens."
But then The Washington Post publicized the "Access Hollywood" video from 2005 on Oct. 7 and it became a turning point in the presidential contest.
That day, Chaffetz told The Salt Lake Tribune: "I'm out. I'm pulling my endorsement.
"I can not support in any way, shape or form the comments or approach Donald Trump has taken. This is so over the top, it is not even acceptable in locker rooms. It shouldn't be acceptable anywhere. We are talking about the president of the United States. I want someone of high moral values."
He said he couldn't look his daughter in the eye and back such a candidate.
Since then, Chaffetz made no attempt to defend Trump, but he has increasingly left open the option that he would vote for him, including at the 3rd District debate, when, when pressed by reporters about how he'd vote, he said: "I haven't said one way or the other."
Chaffetz, like the rest of Utah's high-profile Republicans, has vowed to vote against Clinton.
"I would never vote for Hillary — never ever," Chaffetz said during his debate with Democrat Stephen Tryon. "I think she's a liar. She lies, lies, lies. I think she uses cronyism to new levels. I cannot say enough bad things about her."
Chaffetz joins Sen. Orrin Hatch, Rep. Rob Bishop and Stewart, along with state House Speaker Greg Hughes in pledging to vote for Trump. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Mia Love have said they will not vote for Trump, but they have not announced whom they will support for president.
Tryon ripped Chaffetz on Wednesday.
"Jason Chaffetz has a habit of deceiving the American people in order to advance his political career," the Democrat said in a statement. "We now see, for the second time, that Chaffetz will even associate with sexual predators if it helps his career. How can such a man claim to represent Utah values?"
Chaffetz has a big lead over Tryon and is expected to win a fifth term on Election Day.
Twitter: @mattcanham