GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz: 'I'm Not Afraid Of Going After The Bush Administration' With Torture Investigation (VIDEO)

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), a rising star in the GOP recently elected to his sophomore term, said Tuesday that he would have no problem adding a probe of potential torture authorization under the Bush administration to a growing checklist of investigations drafted by newly empowered Republicans.

Here's the conversation from his talk on Tuesday with MSNBC:

RATIGAN: How far back do you think is appropriate? Because the one thing that's not on this list would be, for instance, a torture investigation.

CHAFFETZ: Well, it may be on the list as well. I'm not afraid of going after the Bush administration. I wasn't brought here by the establishment. When I ran for congressman in 2008, I'm just a freshman year, George W. Bush, Orrin Hatch, and Bob Bennett, three Republicans, they campaigned against me. So I don't mind going back and looking at 'em. So I don't have any hesitation there whatsoever.

Rep. Darrell Issa, who is likely to become chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, spoke earlier this week about just how ambitious his plans for the panel were.

"I want seven hearings a week, times 40 weeks," Issa told Politico.

Out of these hundreds off potential investigations, however, many of them seemed to be focused around banks, stimulus oversight, mortgage lenders, and other questionable financial agents, but Chaffetz's rhetoric perhaps set the stage for a more controversial line of inspection.

A recent report from the UK's Daily Mail claims that, according to a leading human rights lawyer, former President Bush could indeed face criminal punishments over his recent blunt admission that he had authorized waterboarding and would do it again. Alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was eventually waterboarded 183 times in March of 2003 alone.

WATCH:

Comments

[KevinFitzz]

02:45 PM on 11/15/2010

At long last, Mr. President, do you see how they are?
7 hearings a week, times 40 weeks. What a waste of time if they don't look at the Cheeney administration. You decided not to persue Dick and now they come after you.

[Bugweed]

06:33 AM on 11/15/2010

He is just another goose stepping republican who will do what he is told by his corporate masters. Tea baggies got played, nothing ever changes just the price.

[Luluu]

12:27 PM on 11/11/2010

Well get off your high horse and do it already!! Make the ignorant half witted 1d10t pay for the deaths of innocent people out of greed!

[hetrose]

09:50 AM on 11/11/2010

Well, if you will remember, it was the Republicans in Congress who were pushing for Nixon's impeachment. If the TPers, most of who don't like Bush, and newer Repubs would get a bee in their bonnet on this it would be great to see a little Justice pour down on a law breaking President for a change. But, I, too, am not holding my breath.

[mootown]

09:34 AM on 11/11/2010

Better start looking under your car everyday, Jason. Cheney knows where you live.

[Alva Mahaffey-Johnson]

07:22 AM on 11/11/2010

lovely thought..but until the Dems grow the balls to investigate and bring charges against the war crimes of the Bush regime- then I doubt this guy is going to go after them on his own. How can we prosecute crimes of everyday citizens if we do not prosecute the crimes of all of our citizens? Oh, and throw in treason for those involved in revealing the identity of Valerie Plame

And its funny, this guy doesn't want to investigate because of the illegal acts and crimes committed- he wants to investigate because of a personal vandetta he has against the Bush regime. I will gladly take it.

[oxygen]

04:12 AM on 11/11/2010

now there's a damn good republican

[mlaiuppa]

02:20 AM on 11/11/2010

Too little too late.

What's the point wasting time and money in an investigation that isn't going to go anywhere? We know he's guilty. We know you won't do anything about it regardless of the outcome.

So stop wasting our time and money.

[mootown]

09:36 AM on 11/11/2010

But it would be so nice to not have to wait for Karma to kick in. Sigh.

[darcylu]

02:55 PM on 11/11/2010

F&F

[Jim Pasterczyk]

01:36 AM on 11/11/2010

I can already smell the whitewash.

[Keo]

12:36 AM on 11/11/2010

I'll bet that both Mitch McConnell and Lindsay Graham got their panties in a twist after they heard this one.
Chaffetz is a curious beast.
Once a democrat, once a jew, now a republican and a mormon. I don't know if he really is more principled and/or thoughtful than his brethren on the right, but maybe he is.
But there's NO WAY the republican establishment would ever allow an investigation of Bush.

No, folks. Bush is going to be riding off into his own sunset, with his great wealth and his nightmarish legacy intact, secure that he'll never have to face the consequences of his eight years of lying, incompetence, and hypocrisy.
And Fox will do its best never to mention Bush's name, nor those of his accomplices Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Rove. And the Texas School Board will have him written out of the textbooks,
and righteousness will prevail. . .

[Didderbops]

12:32 AM on 11/11/2010

If the Republicans successfully go after Bush for torture I might just have to consider switching parties. (I'm Dem now)

[LeeCalif]

12:04 AM on 11/11/2010

" US Rep. Jason Chaffetz says Republican probes into government actions won't stop with just the last two years under President Barack Obama."

Just a minute here ....... Obama hasn't investigated jack $ hit.

[Bounceem]

11:55 PM on 11/10/2010

"George W. Bush, Orrin Hatch, and Bob Bennett, three Republicans, they campaigned against me. So I don't mind going back and looking at 'em. So I don't have any hesitation there whatsoever."

Gosh - well THERE's principle! They campaigned against him, so he's not opposed to conducting an investigation that has been overdue for YEARS. But if they HAD campaigned for him, or at least endorsed him, their (supposedly arguable) crimes would NOT be investigated?

Yeah, these Republicans - they really DO believe "Character Counts," don't they?

[LeeCalif]

12:05 AM on 11/11/2010

Spoken like a true republican.

[Pandoras Folly]

01:16 AM on 11/11/2010

Frankly I'll take what I can get. If his personal quest for vengence will bring some justice against Bush then so be it. Spoke like a Pragmatist.

[NoSandwiches]

11:25 PM on 11/10/2010

W has already admitted in his book that he authorized torture. Guilty. Why do we even need an investigation?

[Steve Rockett]

11:28 PM on 11/10/2010

To determine the sentence.

[moongal6]

11:31 PM on 11/10/2010

If only. Sigh.

[aprilb1973]

12:07 AM on 11/11/2010

Love it. Never going to happen, but love it. Between that and dog avatar, I think I must fan.

[Steve Rockett]

11:25 PM on 11/10/2010

We can solve this really easy. Just send Bush, Cheney, Ashcroft, Rice and Powell on a world tour. If they come back, then they are not guilty. If not, well then, maybe we can get a location in the Hague where they can be found.

[SamEasy]

11:56 PM on 11/10/2010

I like how you think............simple solution and could dump the dirty work on some other country. Did Bush renew his passport? Or did he ever get one?

[SpringDoc]

12:37 AM on 11/11/2010

Start their tour in Spain.